Long-Term Integrated Business Partnership Matchmaking Programme
«Russia – Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers
Forum 10 November 2010
Press-Release
The Forumis making part of the “Long-Term Integrated Business Partnership Matchmaking Programme «Russia – Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers» of the Moscow Entrepreneurs Association which is targeted at assisting Russian industrial SMEs in generating investment projects and business proposals, in export expansion, in attraction of foreign direct investment and high technologies in real sector of economy of the Russian Federation.
The purposeof the forum was to facilitate establishing business cooperation among Russian and European companies, especially SMEs, to attract foreign direct investment and modern technologies into Russia (www.ru-eu-cooperation-without-frontiers.com).The forum was devoted to holding bilateral negotiations between Russian industrial companies (production, research and development, services) with business cooperation projects and proposals, including investment, and wishing to find business partners in Europe, and European firms and business support organizations which have shown interest with regard to the above projects and proposals or in their turn are offering cooperation to Russian counterparts.
Partnersof the MEA – «Foundation for Contributing to Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Science and Technical Spheres», Closed Joint Stock Company «Russian Agency for Small and Medium Business Support», «Russian Technology Transfer Network» and “The U.S.-Russia Centre for Entrepreneurship” as well as about 60 European business support organizations in 29 European countries.
The Forum was opened by Mr. Mikhail Vyshegorodstev, Head, SMEs Support & Development Department, Moscow City Government; Mr. Andrey Podenok, President, Moscow Entrepreneurs Association; Mr. Yuri Alferov, «Russian technology Transfer Network», Obninsk, Kaluga region; Mr. Suren Vardanyan, General Director, Closed Joint Stock Company “Moscow Export & Investment Support Agency”; Mr. Fedor Khorokhordin, Head, Delegation of Bavaria Government in Russia and Mr. AndreiAkopov,Chairman, Forum Organizing Committee.Among forum guests were Mr. Guillaume Durand, Delegation of the European Union in the Russian Federation; Ms. Oxana Selska, Head, Regional Bureau for Central Federal District of Russia, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Mr. Filippo Li Gotti, Director, PROMOS-Milan Chamber of Commerce.
102 RussianSMEsand 27companies from11 countries(Croatia, CzechRepublic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain and Turkey) registered to participate in the forum. Total number of scheduled meetings was 201. An important number of “out-of-schedule” meetings were also held.
In parallel to bilateral negotiations among companies a seminar for Russian regional officials and business support organizations was held on attraction of FDI and modern technologies to Russian SMEs and project financing by Russian banks. Among speakers were Ms. Natalia Zvereva, Deputy Lord Mayer, Smolensk city; Mr. Yuri Alferov, «Russian technology Transfer Network», Obninsk, Kaluga region; Mr. Suren Vardanyan, General Director, Closed Joint Stock Company “Moscow Export & Investment Support Agency”; Ms. Oxana Potapenko, Development Director, “The U.S.-Russia Centre for Entrepreneurship”; Ms. Anna Zakharova, “Moscow Bank”, Mr. AndreiAkopov,General Manager, “Long-Term Integrated Business Partnership Matchmaking Programme «Russia – Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers», Moscow Entrepreneurs Association. Representatives from Republic of Tatarstan, Stavropolsky krai, Moscow, Kursk, Vologda, Belgorod, Ulyanovskand Tula regions attended the seminar.
In their essence MEA’s fora become a "platform" for international multilateral business cooperation which encompass industrial SMEs from Russia and Europe and which might become one of the elements to develop Moscow into a world business partnership and financial centre.
Uniqueness of this "platform" consists in the fact that from the methodological viewpoint it unifies long-term experience of the United Nations system and of the European Union with regard to attraction of foreign direct investment and stimulation of SMEs export, and from the geographical viewpoint – it is the only “ground” available for SMEs contacts which covers both, all European countries and all Russian regions. Taking into account special role of Moscow as a capital of a federative state, its stimulating internationalization of Russian SMEs could considerably accelerate social and economic development of the country as a whole. Thus Moscow can become not only a catalyst of the Russian-European economic cooperation between SMEs, but also a "bridge" which would connect European SMEs with Russian businesses in the regions.
This "platform" supplements all available traditional organizational forms of stimulation of business cooperation, including export (exhibitions, fairs, business missions) with a qualitatively new content – holding business matchmaking forums is preceded by advertising business proposals and investment projects due to which SMEs have a possibility of choosing most attractive offers and projects, of studding them prior to the forum and holding bilateral negotiations at the forum; contrary to exhibition format the fora encompass both those who offer, and those who seek for business proposals and projects; from the viewpoint of possible contacts no exhibition can be compared with a forum by quantity of negotiations. In addition, forums are being combined with industrial fairs at which SMEs can also exhibit.
As Moscow city has already an advanced SMEs support infrastructure, its supplementing with a segment of SMEs internationalization can increase considerably efficiency of SMEs support by the city budget and be an example for other Russian regions.
On a continuous basisProgramme’s web-site(www.ru-eu-cooperation-without-frontiers.com)provides companies with an opportunity to place information on search of business partners and on their investment projects (period of placing information may vary from 1 to 6 months and could be extended upon company’s request; monthly payment is € 13 (without VAT). Likewise financial institutions have a possibility to place their information on project financing terms and conditions.Companies are also invited to make use of a sub-programme “My Supplier” which is targeted at facilitating search for and financing of export-import operations (monthlyfeeforRussian residents is Rbls.5,000 (withoutVAT) и€ 250 (withoutVAT) for non-residents of Russia).
Next Forum will be held on 18 April 2011
Contacts:
MoscowEntrepreneurs Association
Stanislavskogo Street 22, build. 2, 109004 Moscow, Russian Federation
Phone- +7(495) 911-3839, Fax- +7(495) 912-3264
E-mailrussia-europe_map@mail.ru, www.ru-eu-cooperation-without-frontiers.com; ww.rusbusiness.org
Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Advisor to the President, Foreign Investment & Business Partnerships,
General Director, “Regionomica” LLC – MEA Authorized Operator
Mr. Andrei Akopov
+7(903) 267-6998; regionomica@mail.ru; akopovbusinesspromotion@mtu-net.ru
Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Advisor to the President Moscow Entrepreneurs Association
Ms. Elena Babich
+7(963) 770-0409; eatr@proekt-ovd.ru
