The companies which we have here today have already fully proven themselves to everyone – in terms of increased production, high-quality products, and collaboration with major corporations, amongst others. <…> For our part, we will do our utmost to assist them so that they may continue to move forward — Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

It has been important for us to see another 22 companies join the National Champions family this year, bringing the total number to 84. <…> While this is a priority project for the Ministry of Economic Development, I actually believe it to be an overall priority for securing technological development in Russia. I consider this to be the case because without exception, all the companies selected at this stage – and the preceding stage – are leaders in the tech sector — Sergey Gorkov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation .

We have been working on the TekhUspekh (TechUp) rating since 2016, and it seems that the methodology for selecting high-tech companies has proven to be effective, given that it serves as the basis for selecting companies for the Ministry of Economic Development’s National Champions project. <…> These companies are not only capable of being fast and effective at generating ideas, but also at launching them on the market — Alexander Povalko, Chairman of the Management Board of RVC.

Back in 2007, our company was making fairly straightforward integrated circuits. <…> By contrast, today it develops and assembles the most advanced integrated circuits using 3D technology. <…> We are proud of our solutions which we implemented in Yaroslavl Region, where 78 residential apartment buildings were fitted with smart electric power meter systems. The solutions we implemented in the Republic of Tatarstan is another case of note. Twenty six residential apartment buildings in five separate areas were fitted with comprehensive meter systems for electricity, gas, and heat — Rashit Khafizov, Deputy General Director for Strategic Planning and Marketing, Milandr.

Together with the Ministry of Economic Development, the SME Corporation, and the Ministry of Transport, we are rolling out a support mechanism for innovative and high-tech companies. Last year alone, 5 billion-rouble-worth of their products were purchased, and this figure will only continue to grow year on year. <…> State companies are set to work on global infrastructure projects in the coming years. These include the development of the Europe–Western China corridor, the introduction of driverless vehicles on Russian roads, and the implementation of the free-float barrier-free payment system — Alexander Sokolov, Deputy Chairman, Avtodor.

Skolkovo is on the lookout for tech projects, and we do have plenty of them – around 2,000. Of course, far from all of them manage to come hurtling out of the starting blocks, and not all of them find themselves in the complex world of tech entrepreneurship <…> The number of mature companies in Skolkovo’s portfolio is growing. While companies with revenues of over 100 million roubles accounted for 4.5% of its portfolio in 2016, in 2017 that figure grew to around 7% — Igor Drozdov, Chairman of the Board, Skolkovo Foundation.

The country’s development depends in part on the success of those projects, including those on the National Champions list. <…> A region’s growth does not only depend on the development of local companies, but on successfully applying the best achievements of these champions — Sergey Zhvachkin, Acting Governor of Tomsk Region.

We provide support to small and medium-sized companies with the understanding that innovative companies are primarily in this segment. In 2018, our corporation began selecting start-ups and fast-growing innovative companies for support tools which we are perfecting. We have developed separate credit products, <…> and are working to help small and medium sized innovative companies become suppliers to national giants such as Rosneft, Gazprom, Russian Railways, Rosseti, and others — Natalia Korotchenkova, Deputy General Director, Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation.

The motivation for companies to become National Champions is clearly there. <…> We are carefully following the work done by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and have taken the decision <…> to launch our own Regional Champions project from 2019. We are proceeding from the belief that these companies could potentially become National Champions <…> and perhaps – and this is our dream – global champions — Boris Dubrovsky, Governor of Chelyabinsk Region.