NLMK Group & Skolkovo Foundation Ink Cooperation Agreement
NLMK Group, an international steel company, and the Skolkovo Foundation have signed a strategic cooperation agreement on innovation. The Skolkovo Foundation will provide NLMK Group access to its project portfolio, including R&D in construction, advanced materials, coating processes, energy-efficient solutions and IT products, to enable NLMK to improve its production and business processes. The parties have also agreed on formats for expert and advisory support for relevant projects. NLMK Group plans to trial and implement the most efficient innovative solutions at its companies in Russia, the US, and Europe.
Mr Sergey Chebotarev, Member of NLMK Group Management Board, said that “NLMK Group is open to the world when it comes to searching for and implementing innovative ideas. NLMK is willing to use the open innovation method with its partners, offering a simple and user-friendly mechanism. By building partnerships with leading universities, venture capital funds and development institutions, we gain access to ideation capabilities and projects that help us improve the efficiency of our business.”
Mr Oleg Dubnov, Vice President, Executive Director, Cluster of Energy Efficient Technologies, Skolkovo Foundation, said that “I am confident that cooperation between NLMK and the Skolkovo Foundation will be mutually beneficial. With our support, startups will acquire a reliable partner and a platform for growth, whereas NLMK Group will gain new tools to improve its business processes and effeciently tackle diverse operational challenges.”
First steps towards promoting cooperation between NLMK and Skolkovo have already been made earlier this year. In April, NLMK took part in the Skolkovo Startup Demo Day in Lipetsk as part of the Open Innovations Startup Tour. NLMK expressed an interest in digital platform solutions for HR, heat-exchange equipment design, and new material applications.
Source : Strategic Research Institute