The Founding Congress of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators was held at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The Founding Congress of the All-Russian public-state organisation "All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators" (VOIR) was held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 20 June 2026. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent an address of greetings to the congress participants.

"The current forum opens a new page in the history of VOIR, an authoritative and legendary organisation that brings together, through its objectives, thousands of talented, proactive and passionate people: true creators and innovators. Over the past decades, under the auspices of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators, more than two million inventions and advanced developments have been created and introduced into production. They have produced a real practical effect and made a significant contribution to strengthening the country’s scientific, technological, industrial and infrastructure potential, and to improving people’s quality of life," Vladimir Putin noted.

The Founding Congress unanimously elected Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko as Chairman of the VOIR Supervisory Board. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that the new status of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators is not only a sign of trust, but also a serious responsibility. He asked VOIR to focus its efforts on specific, substantive inventions.

"With the support of President Vladimir Putin, we are restoring the most powerful institution of invention and scientific and technical creativity, which in the Soviet years brought together more than 14.5 million people. It was an army of innovators who developed virgin lands, conquered space and created the industrial power of our country. Russia is now facing even more ambitious and large-scale tasks. The President has approved a national goal: our country’s technological leadership. A key role in achieving it is played by engineers, inventors and innovators who are able to think unconventionally and solve applied technical problems," Dmitry Chernyshenko said.

Among VOIR’s tasks, the Deputy Prime Minister noted the need to organise work with young talents locally and integrate the organisation’s events into educational programmes at all levels: schools, colleges and universities. He also noted the need to develop a programme to stimulate activity and recognise young scientists and inventors. These should primarily be students of advanced engineering schools, teams of youth laboratories, design bureaus and Professionalitet clusters. The rapid introduction of developments at industrial enterprises is also an important task.

VOIR regional branches should establish work with veterans of the special military operation to promptly solve scientific and technical tasks for the defence industry.

"One of the most important tasks now is to ensure our country’s victory. The focus is on working with a qualified customer, primarily veterans of the special military operation, in order to promptly solve our technical tasks for the defence industry. It is important to use the unique experience of military engineers, which is in demand for the tasks of the special military operation, with the participation of research teams from universities and research institutes," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The congress was attended by more than 250 delegates representing the inventor community from 70 constituent entities of our country. The Organisation was founded on behalf of the Russian Federation by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, addressed the congress delegates on behalf of the founder.

"The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia sees the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators as a reliable partner. Together, we will develop dialogue between inventors, many of whom work at universities, scientific organisations and industrial enterprises. We will attract students, postgraduate students and young scientists to engineering creativity. We will work to improve legal regulation in the field of intellectual property and patent law. We also count on support from VOIR in developing modern engineering education," Valery Falkov said.

He added that demand for engineering personnel from the labour market has been growing steadily in recent years. At the same time, it is important to move towards training creative engineers capable of creating their own innovative products. It is for this purpose that advanced engineering schools have been created across the country, the Priority 2030 programme has been refocused on achieving technological leadership, a pilot project on industrial postgraduate studies is being implemented, student design bureaus are being developed, and university technology entrepreneurship is receiving systemic support.

As part of the congress, the delegates approved the organisation’s charter, determined its organisational structure and elected its governing bodies. Vladimir Kononov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, was elected Chairman of VOIR: "Today, we are laying a solid foundation for the systematic work of our inventors and innovators for decades to come. The inventor community should become a place of attraction for talented young people, a platform where ideas turn into specific solutions and innovative products that are in demand by the economy and society. I am confident that, relying on the best traditions of the national engineering school and combining the efforts of society and the state, we will ensure Russia’s confident movement towards technological leadership."

The congress elected VOIR’s governing bodies: the Coordination Council and the Presidium of the Coordination Council. Oleg Dyachenko was appointed Executive Director.

Modern VOIR relies on the richest legacy of Russian invention. In Soviet times, the society had more than 14.5 million members, from worker-innovators to leading engineer-inventors. The President of Russia has set the task of gradually restoring this scale by uniting school students, university students, engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs in a single movement.

Restoring this scale, forming a broad network of regional branches, involving children and young people, engaging veterans of the special military operation in solving current scientific and technical tasks, and accelerating the commercialisation of inventions through industrial partners are intended to ensure that VOIR once again becomes a mass, systemic organisation that is decisive for Russia’s technological sovereignty and future breakthroughs.

VOIR regional branches are centres of attraction for inventors, where innovative ideas and experience meet the real tasks of the state and the region, forming a living ecosystem of technology entrepreneurship and industrial cooperation.