Guests from the People’s Republic of China visited Troitsk. The delegation was led by the head of the Chinese Communist Party in the city of Xinxiang, Zhang Guowei. The meeting kicked off in the TechnoSpark Nano-Center. The Director General, Denis Kovalevich, spoke about the companies that are currently operating in global markets, including those of China as well. The guests were shown a number of startups in the areas of logistic robotics, flexible electronics, industrial lasers and artificial diamonds. The delegation also visited what will become the Aspirant Business Park that is now being constructed not far from TechnoSpark.
“Such visits are quite common for TechnoSpark, – Denis Kovalevich noted. – Chinese investors use a well-worked scheme that has become a bit of tradition. Their first visit is exploratory. The administration of this or that city gets their first-hand experience of the innovative platform and tech companies that are present there. They then report to investors on what they have seen and how they generally estimate the technological level and prospects of business cooperation.”
Setting priorities
It isn’t the first year that TechnoSpark has been in cooperation with China. At the beginning of August this year the Nano-Center will inaugurate its office in Beijing. “It’s our first full-fledged representative platform in China, – Denis Kovalevich points out. – It will be demonstrating both products developed by TechnoSpark and those made by a few other nano-tech centers. That of Novosibirsk, in particular.”
As for the current visit, it is only the first step towards coming closer. “At this stage it is difficult to say whether the relationship will work out well with this particular city, business people, or investors, – Denis Kovalevich says. – Our task today is to introduce ourselves in as much of a detail as possible. Then after about half a year’s time or a year, we will get some feedback. In my experience, the Chinese normally work quite extensively, – the Director General of TechnoSpark adds. – And as long as they have spent some time on the visit, they usually try to take some advantage of it. It means we may as well find some potential partners, or potential selling markets, too, and perhaps even invest funds in the companies that will be developing within the Chinese market. All in all, I would consider the cooperation with China to be one of the main priorities within the trajectory of TechnoSpark’s global growth.”
While the Chinese guests were taking a tour around TechnoSpark, they were introduced to some companies housed in the Nano-Center. Some of them have already made contact with the Chinese customers. For example, certain samples of picosecond lasers that were designed in Troitsk are now undergoing tests in China. The same concerns diamond plates. In the future, the Chinese may either want to purchase the product or invest in the expansion of production. The largest project that TechnoSpark is carrying out these days is the plant that is being constructed right outside the headquarters and will be producing flexible electronic items. In terms of this project, China is viewed as one of potential markets in the future.
The delegation visited the Aspirant Business Park that is now under construction. “This is another platform that we consider as a potential ground for cooperation, – Denis Kovalevich noted. – Particularly, as a place to put our new tech companies.”
Scientific roots
The business visit continued in the city administration. The Deputy Mayor of Troitsk, Valentina Glushkova, told the guests about the town. “Troitsk has scientific roots, – she emphasized. – Currently there are 10 science institutes operating in here. Today you have been to the TechnoSpark innovation center. We have an international relations department and we are always open to cooperation.”
The Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in the city of Xinxiang, Zhang Guowei, invited the administration of Troitsk to pay a return visit to their city. “Your science town has made a great impression on me, – Zhang Guowei pointed out. – In the future, we would like to cooperate with you in the field of science and innovations. We have a possibility to create joint enterprises in Troitsk and China, particularly, in our city. In October we are going to host a big fair of scientific achievements which will draw a lot of science organizations from all around China and other countries. We invite you to come to this fair and offer you to sign an official document on our cooperation.”
