Dinar Shakirov: most small technology companies in Tatarstan operate in industry and information technology
The Deputy Minister of Economy of the region spoke about the development of small technology companies in Tatarstan at a joint meeting of the Committee of the State Council of the Republic on Economy, Investment and Entrepreneurship and the Expert Council of the Committee. In his report, he also paid attention to the regulatory framework and measures to support such companies.
"Regulatory legal acts form the basis for the functioning of small technology companies in Russia, providing them with the necessary regulatory environment for successful development," the speaker said.
He noted that a number of regulatory documents have been adopted at the federal level defining the goals and objectives of development in the field of scientific and technological development, including the country's technological leadership, which 8 out of 19 new national projects are aimed at achieving, as one of the national goals:
- "New materials and chemistry";
- "Means of production and automation";
- "New nuclear and energy technologies";
- "Industrial support of transport mobility";
- "Unmanned aircraft systems";
- "Technological provision of food security";
- "New health saving technologies";
- "Development of a multi-satellite orbital constellation".
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development has launched a "Startup Showcase", which allows you to find promising projects for investment, and makes it easier for startups to access resources.
The Startup Showcase is based, among other things, on the database of the Register of Small Technology Companies (STC registry). Inclusion in the register opens up both targeted government support measures for companies and prospects for attracting private investment. Today, 166 STCs of Tatarstan and 240 projects are in the Register of small technology companies.
Dinar Shakirov said that small technological enterprises occupy an important place in Tatarstan's innovation ecosystem, contributing to its economic growth and technological development. The majority of Tatarstan companies listed in the STC register carry out their activities in the field of industry and information technology.
The STC status allows seamless access to support measures without additional collection of documents and confirmations. Companies included in the register can apply for financial measures – various grants, preferential loans, and other forms of financial support.
Also, non–financial measures include expedited consideration of applications for state registration of intellectual property results (IPR), acceleration of start-ups at the development stage, and other services aimed at developing companies.
The emergence of new small technology companies is also facilitated by the involvement of students in entrepreneurship.
In order to concentrate efforts to support high-tech entrepreneurship, starting from the student's bench, the Innovation Promotion Foundation is holding a Student Startup competition as part of the implementation of the federal project "Platform for University Technological Entrepreneurship".
The aim of the competition is to provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in commercializing an idea themselves or as part of a team, as well as entrepreneurial experience through the creation and development of a startup.
From 2022 to 2024, 5 rounds of the Student Startup competition were held, as a result of which the Republic of Tatarstan demonstrated high results - 734 winners.
The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan, together with the regional representative office of the Innovation Assistance Fund - the Entrepreneurship Support Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan, conducts events aimed at supporting participants in the Student Startup program, from consultations and webinars on application preparation, online project protection, to financing participation in exhibition and fair events, developing business plans and services, promotion of products.
Companies from Tatarstan are also actively participating in the grant program for "nurturing" technology companies to meet the requirements of large Russian corporations, operated by the ANO Center for Engineering and Innovation Support.
Cooperation with the SME Corporation also plays an important role in supporting and developing small and medium-sized businesses in the region, one of the support measures of which is a concessional lending program developed for high-tech and innovative enterprises, small technology companies.
Loans are provided at a discounted rate of up to 1 billion rubles per borrower. In the Republic of Tatarstan, 17 companies in the amount of 2.1 billion rubles benefited from the support. In addition, concessional financing for investment purposes is implemented under the program of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation under Resolution No. 1764. According to the results of last year, enterprises of the republic attracted borrowed funds in the amount of more than 11 billion rubles.
Events in the "Supplier Days" format aimed at developing cooperation between large enterprises and SMEs from the real sector, primarily residents of industrial parks, have shown their effectiveness in building cooperation.
In 2024, similar events were held with the participation of PJSC Tatneft, LLC SIBUR, PJSC KAMAZ, PJSC Gazprom Neft, JSC Transneft – Prikamye and other major suppliers. As a result of the events, 340 enterprises became suppliers of large businesses, and contracts worth over 2.3 billion rubles were signed.