Totals of joint Bashkir-German cluster project summed up in Ufa

The joint gathering of the scientific-technical council under the Ministry of industry and innovational policy RB and the Academy of Sciences RB has taken place in Ufa yesterday under the chairmanship of the Minister of industry and innovational policy RB Robert Vagapov and the Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences RB Asgat Gumerov.

The totals of the project “Elaboration and realization of the strategy for restructuring of industrial policy RB”, developed by the Ministry of industry and innovational policy RB and the Ministry of economics and technologies of Germany during two years, were summed up at the gathering. As soon as the project is over in March 2011, the experts fr om Germany have introduced the summary report, wh ere the goals and aims of the project were indicated.

At the beginning of the gathering Robert Vagapov has reported that the last Message of the President RB to the State Council RB says about the necessity of the innovational way in development of the region. “By such parameter as the share of the shipped off innovational output in the gross regional product Bashkiria is found only on the tenth place in Volga federal district”.

“Sure, we can’t put up with such situation and have to undertake certain measures to improve it” – Robert Vagapov stated. He has also reported the Government RB approved “The long-term goal-oriented innovational program RB in 2011-2015”, which determined the vector of development in local economics.

The experts from Germany Carl-Heinz Clinger and Kurt Hornshield have taken the floor with the summary report on the project. With the assistance of the German specialists the work in three directions was running in Bashkiria: foundation of an energy-machine-building cluster, a woodworking cluster and a tourist cluster. The German side has allocated 200 thousand euro for the project. In opinion of M-r Hornshield Bashkiria belongs to the regions with well-developed infrastructure, qualified personnel and powerful potential.

“Bashkiria has to position itself as the region, attractive for investments” – he said – “But since other regions don’t “sleep” too, you have to take care of your own competitive ability”.

As he said, the transition to the cluster policy wasn’t easy. But clusters can’t develop without state backing so the state should come out as a consolidating force.

Putting the end to discussion of the project Robert Vagapov has mentioned the elaboration of the innovational program is the main result of their joint activity. 109 million rubles have been spent during three years for this project and in the nearest five years it is planned to spend four times more. It is quite clear the foreign experience turned out to be useful for the Republic. The cooperation will be continued.