The history of technology parks began in the fifties of the last century. It was at this time that Stanford University, located in the state of California (USA), decided to lease vacant premises and unused land. Contracts were made with a wide variety of organizations. These were both large companies and small firms engaged in high-tech businesses.
All of these organizations at that time carried out government orders. Small industries developed in direct contact with the university. This has benefited both sides. As a result, a community formed, which was later called the Silicon Valley.
Further project implementation
It took almost thirty years to completely build up the empty territory and debug the necessary infrastructure. This was the first creation of an industrial park. Silicon Valley has become known throughout the world in connection with its achievements in high-tech industries. Especially here computer and information technologies developed.
Small firms, including two or three employees, grew rapidly, turning into companies with more than one thousand employees. In 1981, more than eighty companies worked in the territory where this technology park was located. These are giants such as Polaroid and Hewlett-Packard, the aerospace firm Lockheed and other industry leaders.
Since the 80s, technology parks began to appear in large numbers in the United States. They contributed to the development of those regions that were plagued by unemployment and the economic downturn. And to date, America has the largest number of these industrial and scientific zones. In number, they make up one third of the world number.
The emergence of technology parks in Europe
A wonderful idea crossed the ocean in the 70s of the last century. It was during this period that a Research Center arose at the University of Edinburgh . Similar organizations began to develop in Cambridge at Trinity College, in Belgium at Leuven-la-Neuve, etc. The technopark movement in Europe was significantly intensified due to the crisis that erupted in the 80s. It was then that in order to help the problem centers of the coal and textile industries, Margaret Thatcher ordered the creation of a whole network of industrial zones in the UK at existing universities. This idea has paid off. And today about fifty technology parks are successfully operating in England. They are also in other countries of Europe. On its territory there are about 260 such entities.
European technology parks, which include two thousand different innovation centers, have used overseas experience in their development. This allowed them to go a shorter path of formation. "Business Incubators" in a short time gained great popularity. Their services were used by small companies and private firms, as well as public sector organizations. What role did the technopark play in this? This was the link between industry and the research field.
Technopark movement in the Middle Kingdom
The American experience in creating unique industrial zones was picked up by China. In this field, the country has achieved stunning success, attracting the attention of the world community. The accelerated development of science-intensive industries in China has been made possible thanks to the active participation of the state.
Already in early 1986, the government approved a program for the development of technology and science. It identified those priority sectors that the technology park should have included. The Center for Cosmonautics, Informatics and Electronics, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, fiber optic communications and energy-saving technologies for the project was supposed to be located in this territory. In addition, it was planned that the industrial-scientific zone will include production of medical equipment.
Government assistance
Two years later, a program called “Torch” was launched, which was the next stage in the project, according to which it was supposed to build an industrial park. This was the next decision of the government of the country, the purpose of which was to commercialize and industrialize the successes achieved in the creation of high technology. The Fakel program involved production facilities whose value exceeded $ 25 billion.
During the implementation of this project, such techno-park zones were created that, in addition to developing the latest technologies and promoting their own products on the external and internal markets, played a huge role in attracting foreign investment and advanced developments to the country.
The first Chinese industrial park is the Beijing Experimental Zone, located in Haidan Province. Since its opening in 1988, 120 such formations have already been created in the country. At the same time, fifty percent of them work to fulfill government orders.
The Chinese government has provided tremendous assistance in creating technology parks. Moreover, it was expressed not only in significant amounts of financial injections. At the government level, preferential business conditions were established in these areas. This is a reduction or complete exemption from income tax, benefits for capital construction, as well as the possibility of duty-free import of imported equipment.
World technopark movement
In the eighties of the last century, the idea of creating scientific and industrial territories experienced a real boom. Technoparks began to be created not only in economically developed countries. Their construction took place in Australia and Singapore, India and Malaysia, Brazil and Canada, as well as in many other states.
Start of construction of industrial parks in Russia
The creation of industrial and scientific zones in our country began in the 80s-90s. It was a difficult period when, in connection with the crisis that erupted, the state stopped financing sectoral and applied sciences. One of the opportunities to retain qualified personnel was the idea of creating a zone on which the technology park should be located. The RAS Center in Tomsk, the Russian Ministry of Higher Education, the State Committee for Education, as well as large enterprises became the founders of the first of these formations. This technology park was state property.
Reformation occurred later. Technopark became AOZT. At the same time, the share of state ownership in its authorized capital decreased to 3%.
Post-soviet period
Young technology parks in Russia experienced great difficulties. They were affected by the lack of business experience in the changing economic conditions. In these years, industrial and scientific zones have not been able to make a breakthrough in creating the latest technologies. It was a time when any enterprise had the task of simply surviving. Under such conditions, technology parks were considered as institutions capable of receiving state support.
In 1990, the program of the Ministry of Economics “Technoparks of Russia” appeared. It was designed for five years. However, financing under this program did not allow to acquire real estate and organize all the necessary infrastructure. On the allocated amount, some universities launched only commercial activity, which was far from scientific.
Further work of the state
In the same years, the Association "Technopark" was created. Her task was to study and adapt foreign experience to the conditions of Russia. In addition, the Association was supposed to promote the creation and activities of technology parks as an effective link in supporting and developing small businesses in innovative areas.
In this work, the Russian government provided not only material, but also legislative assistance. However, there was an opinion that the technopark should not use any tax benefits. Production in it must be carried out on the same conditions that have developed throughout the country. Otherwise, it was assumed that such zones would easily turn into internal offshores, where assets would be withdrawn.
By the mid-90s, the Technopark program in Russia continued to gain momentum. The number of such zones grew. Their creation took place on the basis of state-owned research centers. However, among these formations there was a certain stratification in development. The most advanced were the scientific parks of Tomsk and Moscow, St. Petersburg and Zelenograd, Chernogolovka and Ufa.
Technopark in Saransk
Based on the accumulated world experience, we can say that the technopark is a special economic zone with rapidly developing high-tech industry. That is why such formations are under special control of the government, the task of developing them was set by the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin back in 2005. Five years later, the development of a federal program to create industrial and scientific zones in high technology in Russia was completed. To date, twelve technology parks have already opened in our country. It is worth mentioning that in December 2014 the implementation of the federal program was completed in full. It is assumed that the budgetary effectiveness of all technology parks will be within 55%. At the same time, they will produce at least 12% of export products.
Another project
One of the objects of the federal program was the Mordovia Technopark complex. Its construction was started after Putin signed the relevant order issued September 12, 2008. The total area of this structure is about 6,000 sq.m. On its territory there are companies developing software, as well as those organizations whose activities are related to the information environment and the creation of databases based on modern technologies.
By the end of 2014, the second stage was put into production at the Technopark Mordovia complex. To date, fifty-one resident companies have been successfully operating throughout the zone, providing 1,634 jobs. The total annual revenue of the technopark is 1 billion rubles.
Technopark in Tolyatti
The largest scientific and industrial zone of Russia is the Zhigulevskaya Valley. This is an industrial park built near the city of Togliatti. The area of this zone is 65,000 square meters. The main areas of work of the Zhiguli Valley technopark are telecommunications and information technologies, energy saving and energy efficiency, transport, chemistry, as well as developments in the field of space exploration.
Today, 22 companies work here, the number of which in the future should grow to hundreds.