Applied focus
Work is done only on tasks with a real customer need.
About the Center
The Center is an expert and coordination platform for selecting, piloting and preparing for replication the technology solutions needed by government customers, regions, infrastructure organizations and large businesses.
Background
There is a gap between the need of the state, regions and corporations for applied technology solutions and the market’s ability to quickly find, test and deploy them. Developers, customers, development institutions, banks, universities and integrators coexist, but there is no mechanism to translate a need into a technical assignment, evaluate independently, organize a pilot, calculate the economics and scale up.
Government bodies are bound by procedures, integrators promote their own solutions, development institutions finance without checking applicability, universities test without aggregating demand. The Center takes on the role of the neutral link.
The Center is not a government body, regulator, certification authority, equipment supplier or operator. Its task is to connect confirmed demand, expert evaluation, pilot sites, deployment partners and financing instruments into a single managed model.
How the Center differs from existing institutions
The stretch between a prototype and industrial operation is not covered by any existing institution. Each of them solves its own task and stops at the boundary of its competence.
| Institution | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Ministries and agencies | Set rules, industry programs and support measures, maintain product registers | Do not run pilots, do not verify a solution’s fit for a specific customer, are not responsible for deployment |
| Funds and development institutions | Finance R&D, prototypes and small series; provide grants and soft loans | The project ends with a spending report; customer demand is not confirmed at the time of financing |
| Accelerators, platforms, industry non-profits | Select startups, train teams, organize pitches and investor meetings | The result ends with a demonstration; a pilot at a real site and a test report are not part of the product |
| Universities and test laboratories | Test at the developer’s request and issue reports under methodologies | Do not aggregate demand, do not match solutions to a customer’s task, do not support deployment |
| Integrators and suppliers | Deploy and operate solutions | Promote their own portfolio and cannot be a neutral party to an evaluation |
The Center works in the reverse logic to funds and accelerators: the starting point is a customer’s need, not a developer’s application. A prototype is matched to the need, goes through evaluation and a pilot at an operating site, and the customer receives a solution passport with measured performance to use in procurement.
The Center does not finance, supply or deploy anything itself, so it has no interest in the outcome of an evaluation.
Mission
To support technological sovereignty through practical piloting, expert evaluation and preparation for deployment of Russian and localizable technology solutions with confirmed customer demand.
By 2030, the Center’s solution passports and expert opinions should be accepted by customers and regulators as sufficient grounds for a pilot and procurement in its areas of work. Four goals serve this purpose.
- A single public methodology for assessing technology maturity and import independence, accepted by customers and regulators.
- A showcase of proven solutions with passports and open pilot reports, referenced in partners’ procurement documentation.
- A network of piloting sites at industrial and infrastructure partners in all nine areas.
- Self-sufficiency of operations while keeping the evaluation independent.
Principles
-
-
Expertise
Technical, legal, operational, economic and, where needed, information security evaluation of every solution. -
Recommendatory findings
The Center’s findings do not replace permits, certificates or licenses. -
Separation of functions
Expert and coordination activities are separated from investment, supply and integration. -
Transparency
Selection criteria are public. -
Prevention of conflicts of interest
Affiliations are disclosed in the expert opinion. -
Protection of intellectual property
Developers’ rights are fixed before work begins.
Organizational model
The work is organized as a system of circuits with separated functions. The Center ensures interaction between the circuits without mixing their functions: expert evaluation does not depend on investment interest, and commercial activity does not affect findings on maturity and applicability.
-
Coordination core
The Center itself: collects demand, runs the areas of work, organizes evaluation, supports pilots and maintains the showcase. -
Expert and supervisory circuit
Representatives of expert organizations, universities, development institutions, industry associations, infrastructure customers and, under agreements, government organizations. -
Project circuit
Working groups for areas of work and pilots. -
Deployment circuit
Large companies, integrators, manufacturing and infrastructure partners. -
Financial support circuit
Banks, development institutions, grant operators. -
Investment circuit
A separate commercial entity that invests in companies and projects independently of the Center’s expert decisions.
Governance
-
Founders
Approve the charter, form the governing bodies and appoint the director. Founders do not interfere in the evaluation of solutions. -
Supervisory Board
The highest collegial body. Approves the strategy, budget and annual plan, reviews evaluation and pilot results, sets priorities for the areas of work. -
Expert Advisory Council
Acts without veto power. Prepares expert opinions and recommendations, approves the methodology and reviews disputed opinions. -
Director
Manages operations, coordinates the areas of work, project groups and partners, reports to the Supervisory Board. -
Heads of areas
Responsible for the agenda, demand map, selection, evaluation and pilots in their area. -
Project groups
Set up for individual pilots and programs.