The citizens of our country have heard the mysterious abbreviation Skolkovo from a television screen more than once. A lot has been written and written about this project in recent years. But all the same, you won’t immediately answer the question of what it is or, moreover, how to become a Skolkovo resident. From 2013 to 2015, more than 60 billion rubles were allocated from the budget of the Russian Federation for the development of projects of this organization. In recent years, cash injections have continued. Let's take a closer look at what kind of organization this support is given. What needs to be done to become a participant in her projects. How to become a Skolkovo resident to receive benefits?
Skolkovo
Talk about the creation of the "Russian Silicon Valley" began in 2009. And 2010 can be considered the beginning of the development of the Skolkovo Innovation Center. The main purpose of the center is to support developments in innovative areas, such as IT-technologies, robotics, space, medicine, energy and other areas. And also in helping to promote the final product, its commercialization. The complex is a separate exclave, which is located outside the third ring of the Moscow city road. Today, many startups have Skolkovo resident status. These are young companies that have received their development and funding at the sites of the center.
As a result, by 2020, a self-sufficient and self-governing cluster should be created in which new commercially successful companies with a high-tech product in demand on the global market will appear.
Why is it needed for a startup
What gives obtaining this status? The Skolkovo resident has pros and cons. The biggest incentive for applicants is not even financial and administrative assistance at the initial stage, but the reputation of a resident of the innovation center. After all, it opens up additional opportunities for attracting interested investors and entering global markets. Involvement in this project is a kind of guarantee that the future company will find its place and will be in demand. By cons can only be attributed the process of obtaining the status itself. Success does not come easily, but the result will be worthwhile.
First steps
How to become a Skolkovo resident? The first thing to do is register on the site (sk.ru). Further, in the appropriate tab, you will need to fill out an application for the project to obtain preliminary approval. The statement should outline the project in detail, how it stands out, and what you want to achieve in the end. After sending the application, a preliminary examination will be carried out. Specialists will study the proposed project, whether it is innovative enough. The application will be checked in several stages:
- Correctors are the first to check. Validation takes place, literacy check filling all items.
- Next, check for compliance with the selected direction.
- The next step, if the first steps are successfully completed, is the so-called “preliminary examination” itself. The presentation will be given to seven experts who are randomly selected.
- If the project has received approval, the applicant will be required to register legal entities. If one has already been created earlier, then you will have to change the charter and enter a new address. It will be provided after signing the lease at Skolkovo. Leased premises may not be less than 5 square meters.
It takes six months to complete the design. In the allotted time, it is necessary to complete all the formalities (creation of a legal entity, rent). Next, provide data to the innovation center. The fund registers the company and issues a certificate of entry in the register of project participants. Take the certificate to the tax authorities for tax exemption. Resident status provides access to grants and other support provided by Skolkovo.
Terms of consideration
How to become a Skolkovo resident? From the time of filing the application until the end of the preliminary examination, the wait takes about thirty days. The first two stages take four to ten days. Further, experts are given fourteen days to make a positive or negative decision. In the case of force majeure, when the first commission of seven members does not fit within the allotted time, a new appointment of its members occurs. In this case, the terms are extended for another fourteen days.
Application Template
After registering on the organization’s website in your personal account, you will need to activate the “create an application” tab. The whole process takes place on the portal without making calls or sending additional documentation by Russian post. In your personal account, you can track the entire path of the application from the moment of submission to the decision. The list of lines to fill:
- The string "Agreement". Confidentiality will be required if the fund can disclose information about your presentation or not.
- The string is "General." The name of the project should be indicated. It is written in Cyrillic. It also indicates the choice of cluster with a brief description of the nature and purpose of the proposal. The email address is entered.
- The string "Problems". Enter the rationale for the importance of your project, what audience the plan is aimed at. Describe what will be in demand and what is not currently available on the market, indicating sources and links to materials confirming your theory. Make an innovative proposal or a unique production technology that your company has created personally.
- String "Technology". The technology or technologies that you are developing or are going to use is indicated. Indicate patents, if any.
- Stock "Scheme". One of the most important tabs, here describes the scheme of promotion of the finished product, commercialization. Indicate your advantages over other market participants, apply research with numbers and justifications.
- String “Team. Enter the staff of your company, paint the roles of the participants.
- The string "Resources". Describe the stages of development of your project.
- The line "Goals". Describe what you have already achieved, list commercial successes, a list of investors, if any. It is advisable to attach statistics with specific numbers. Next, describe a clear plan for further action, indicating the applicable or future technologies that you intend to patent.
- The string "Jur. face". Fill in the data after a preliminary examination.
- The line "History". It displays the steps of your application.
- String “Voting results”. It indicates what grade each expert gave.
What criteria do experts evaluate the project
Skolkovo residents have very stringent requirements. Seven experts should answer on five points:
- Are there any potential advantages of the project under consideration over world analogues?
- Will the project have commercial success at least in the Russian market, maximum in international markets? How many potential customers can you reach?
- Is it possible to carry out this initiative? Are there any contradictions with fundamental scientific principles?
- Does the level of qualification and baggage of the necessary knowledge of the applicants the ability to achieve these goals?
- Is there enough material to make an objective assessment?
At least five votes in favor must be cast for each item in order to be approved.
Applicant Requirements
To become a Skolkovo resident, the conditions that the applicant must meet are quite interesting. The project should be innovative and attractive to potential audiences. The authorized capital of the company and the period of existence are not decisive. Skolkovo is equally oriented towards big business and startups.
Resident Benefits and Accountability
When he became a Skolkovo resident, you can count on a number of concessions and benefits. First of all, this is income tax and income tax, the benefit on the payment of mandatory contributions is quite substantial. If the project requires imported equipment, the company receives a whole system of benefits in the implementation of customs procedures. There are also exemptions in the implementation of social transfers.
When submitting financial statements, a Skolkovo resident is entitled to apply special simplified forms, and may also keep reports in the generally established manner. The following schemes apply:
- Balance sheet form and report on target spending.
- Balance sheet form and statement of financial performance.
What happens if a resident does not achieve his goal
The Skolkovo Foundation is a non-profit organization. Accordingly, there can be no talk of any profit. The fund was created for the development and establishment of an innovative ecosystem in the Russian Federation. Projects are financed through grants. When the project goal is not achieved, the resident must return only those funds that were not capitalized. The return of the entire amount allocated to the project, or the spent part is not provided.
Conclusion
This article examined how to become a Skolkovo resident. Separately, it is worth noting that the intellectual property of the developed technologies and research results do not belong to the fund, but exclusively to the participants in this project. If your company is engaged in innovative projects, then you should try your hand. Indeed, in the first year of the foundation’s existence, more than one hundred companies received resident status. Go to the site and leave a request. Keep in mind that acquiring the coveted status may require more than one attempt. In case of refusal, study the mistakes made and go for it again.
As they say: "He who does not take risks does not drink champagne."