National Technology Initiative (NTI) Platform and JSC United Chemical Company Uralchem ​​(Uralchem, JSC) signed a cooperation agreement. The document was signed by Dmitry Peskov, Director General of the National Technological Initiative Platform, and Dmitry Mazepin, Director General of Uralchem ​,​JSC.

As part of the agreement, the parties will share experience in innovation, jointly implement projects in the field of digital transformation, and accelerate NTI projects and teams. The agreement also provides for assistance in the development of the regulatory framework of the Russian Federation, the development of high-tech exports of products of NTI business entities and the development of technological infrastructure.

The parties will hold quarterly meetings to share experience in innovation and implementation of projects in the field of digital transformation, to participate in the creation of consortia for joint solving of pressing problems. Uralchem ​​employees will be able to take advanced training within the scope of specialized programs of further vocational education of the NTI Competence Centers and organizations of the NTI ecosystem.

Dmitry Mazepin, General Director of Uralchem, JSC, said,

“I am very pleased to see that our plans for the development of the Foodnet market of the National Technology Initiative are being implemented and a professional community of the new market is being formed. The process of preparing a roadmap for the Foodnet market started in 2020. Active support from the NTI Platform and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia gives us confidence that this work will be completed. Foodtech and Agrotech are recognized worldwide as promising industries for investment. But, of course, it is important to create our own Russian technologies. If Russian companies are able to control the entire value chain for new types of products, this will become the key to our competitiveness in future global markets. For my part, I can confirm that Russian business is ready to invest in modern technologies today. At Uralchem, we ​​are already doing this. So do the advanced food and agricultural companies.”

“Foodnet will be the fastest growing market in the coming years and the largest in terms of volume. In my opinion, the only market in the world, in which another Elon Musk may appear in the future is the market at the intersection of nutrition and healthcare,” commented Dmitry Peskov, CEO of the National Technology Initiative Platform.

Mikhail Ivanov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, said,

“The task of NTI is to bring Russian players, Russian companies to the global market, to help them take leading positions in it. In this regard, as part of the development of the Foodnet market last year, we prepared and approved a concept for the market development. We are building the necessary infrastructure so that high-tech businesses and companies grow in the food market, start-ups quickly implement their ideas, and large investment companies invest money. Now we are getting ready to approve the market roadmap”.

NTI Platform is a non-profit organization founded in November 2018 by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Ministry of Education and Science on behalf of the Russian government. Its goal is to create favorable conditions for implementing breakthrough technology projects and scaling their results, as well as increasing the number and quality of projects participating in the National Technology Initiative. Both financial and non-financial support are provided at various stages of technology companies’ development.