Alexander Novak: small technology companies are a driver of the economy and technological sovereignty

Russia is actively supporting small technology companies and creating new opportunities for innovative businesses and for promoting domestic technologies. More than 5,500 small technology companies are now registered in the country – almost 1,500 more than in 2024. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexander Novak, during the project "Platform of the Futute: 100 Projects of Russia. Economy". The event was held on 19 November at the National Centre RUSSIA.

"Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses want to move into the category of small technology companies. What distinguishes small technology companies? They are slightly larger and are engaged in developing technologies. We have defined that for this category, revenue should be up to 4 billion roubles. This applies to high-tech industries – around 60 areas in total. What is the point? It is a simplified form of support. If a company passes a special expert review and enters the register of small technology companies, it can access government support measures. Today, 5,500 companies are already included in this register, while a year ago there were around 4,000," said Alexander Novak.

One such company is Technored. Its founder, Artyom Lukin, said that they develop and implement robotic solutions. He emphasised that the company’s key goal is to make robotics accessible to a wide range of enterprises, including micro-, small and medium-sized companies for which implementing classical industrial robots is often too expensive and complex.

"Today everyone is talking about robotics and robotisation – probably only the laziest have not heard about it. Why? The world’s population is ageing, new earning opportunities are emerging, and fewer people are willing to work in factories in the traditional format. Robotics has been known for more than 40 years, but here in Russia we are creating not just robots but innovative solutions that enable enterprises to automate production quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively. We develop serial robotic systems that cost ten times less than classical equivalents and can be implemented within a few days. This opens new opportunities for business and strengthens our country’s technological sovereignty," said Artyom Lukin.

Producing a classical robot takes around 18 months, costs about 30 million roubles and requires an extremely labour-intensive implementation process, he continued. At the same time, micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises remain the key drivers of the economy, which is why the company has focused its efforts precisely on these segments. In Moscow, standardised robotic systems are developed, manufactured and patented; their cost is not 30 million but 3.5 million roubles, and production and delivery take only 8–10 working days, he explained.

"Today, we have serial production and can manufacture several thousand robotic systems a year with a simplified implementation process to facilitate installation, given the shortage of qualified specialists. By 2028–2030, we plan to bring the company to an IPO. It will be one of the first high-tech companies with a real product represented on the global market," added Artyom Lukin.

The Commercial Director of the Revat company, Artyom Tikhonov, said that the company develops charging stations and is betting on the future of environmentally friendly electric transport. According to him, with support from the Development Fund, the company was able to purchase modern equipment and create new jobs.

"We develop innovative products – prototypes of passenger and freight electric vehicles, and we also take part in advancing electric vessels that are already operating on the Moskva River. We are continuing to expand this area. In addition, we have made use of accelerated patenting support measures provided by the state – without these incentives, development would have been far more difficult. We are also participants in the Skolkovo Foundation, which has allowed us to save on taxes and increase employee salaries. The state actively supports us, offering opportunities to take part in expositions in Russia and abroad, where we promote our products. We believe in a new environmentally friendly future built on electric transport, which is already evident in the growing number of electric buses and electric vessels. We invite everyone to join us and to create this new technological future together," said Artyom Tikhonov.

One of the key tasks requiring state support is ensuring the distribution and availability of products manufactured by small technology companies and by small and medium-sized businesses, noted Alexander Novak. In this context, it is essential to create conditions that stimulate demand and enable long-term contracts, including offset contracts. According to him, only joint efforts by government authorities and businesses make it possible to identify the most effective solutions for supporting enterprise development.

The "Platform of the Future: 100 Projects of Russia" series of thematic programmes is held at the National Centre RUSSIA. They focus on the national development goals set out in Presidential Executive Order No. 309.

Three more thematic meetings will take place before the end of the year. They will present major initiatives covering the social and infrastructure sectors, Environmental Well-Being, industry, the economy and culture. Presentations of these projects at the National Centre RUSSIA will be delivered by members of the Government of Russia and heads of ministries overseeing the implementation of national projects and the achievement of national goals.