Project presented to Acting Governor of the Omsk Region Alexander Burkov

Acting Governor of the Omsk Region Alexander Burkov met with graduates of the first cohort of the Russian-Chinese business incubator. Recall that in July 2017, Siberia's only Russian-Chinese business incubator for young entrepreneurs opened in Omsk. Participants in the international project included 12 Chinese startup companies and 15 Russian small enterprises selected through a competitive process. Faculty members, successful entrepreneurs, and representatives of investment companies from both countries served as experts and mentors to the residents.
Omsk residents had the opportunity to study the rules of doing business with Chinese partners, acquire new competencies and skills in innovation and entrepreneurship, and broaden their horizons. Experts guided young entrepreneurs, helped them define priorities, and helped launch projects onto the international market. Many young businesspeople got off to a successful start. Residents from the two countries worked on projects in IT technologies, timber processing, agriculture, food production, education, and social and cultural interaction.

“China is one of our key foreign trade partners, ranking second by trade turnover among the 87 countries we cooperate with. We will continue to develop our relations with China. That is why I would like to hear your point of view, your opinion on the Russian-Chinese business incubator: what has this platform given you, how do you see the prospects for its development, and what aspects need to be modernized and improved so that we can attract an even greater influx of young entrepreneurs into cooperation with China and the development of relations with the Chinese side,” Alexander Burkov asked representatives of young Omsk companies. Mikhail Derevyanko, one of the business incubator's residents and head of the IT company “Future Today,” who presented his projects in information technology, noted that it was participation in the Russian-Chinese business incubator that helped promote his startup, adapt it to the Chinese market, and reach agreements with future Chinese partners.
“This was a powerful boost for our company; before the business incubator we had no idea how to reach the international level or how to work with other countries. We established connections, and after the exchange trip we created a new project with our Chinese partners, which we launched in April, and we are confident it will be successful,” said Mikhail Derevyanko. “Our plans for the near future include creating a joint innovative enterprise to implement smart glass technology.”

A new intake of residents for the Russian-Chinese business incubator is planned for the fall. In this connection, the first cohort's graduates are ready to serve as mentors, sharing their experience and knowledge of the specifics of establishing connections and building bilateral relations with future partners from China. They announced this initiative at the meeting with the head of the region. Alexander Burkov said that during his participation in SPIEF he plans to take part in a panel session devoted to international youth business incubators, where he intends to talk about the achievements, projects, and experience of the Omsk platform.