Financing Skolkovo

Main articles:

• The innovation center Skolkovo
• History Skolkovo
• Skolkovo resident companies
• Skoltech (Skolkovo institute of science and technologies, Skoltech)
• Activity indicators Skolkovo

2016: Check of Accounts Chamber: that point - violations

On July 15, 2016 results of board of Accounts Chamber upon a control action "Check of use of the funds of the federal budget allocated for implementation connected with creation and ensuring functioning of the innovation center "Skolkovo" in 2013-2015" became known (together with Federal Security Service).

NPO "Fund of development of Development center and commercialization of new technologies" economic development and the innovation economy implements the Subprogramme "Creation and development of the innovation center "Skolkovo" of the state program "". In 2013-2015 the majority of target indicators of the subprogramme is reached^[1].

The internal control system in Skolkovo Foundation functions since July, 2013: 121 inspections of the project participants who received grants in the amount more than 7 billion rubles that makes more than 73% of total amount of the issued grants are carried out. Violations when using grants for the total amount of 361.9 million rubles are revealed. At the same time, despite the exhaustive list of the bases for an early exception of legal entities of the register of project participants most of the grantees who allowed severe violations of conditions of providing grants saved a participant status of the project and continued to take the set advantages, including tax benefits, preferential services represented by subsidiaries of Fund, the simplified procedure of hiring of foreign employees and information support of Fund.

It is established that 5 of 15 members of Grant committee of Skolkovo Foundation directly were either founders, or heads of the companies applying for a participant status of the project or receiving a grant. At the same time the procedure is organized in such a way that at full compliance with the set requirements, the mechanism of the choice of the receiver of a grant does not allow to exclude a possibility of advantages to the companies related to members of Grant committee. Besides, the Accounts Chamber recommended to Fund to work in addition the mechanism of the choice of the receiver of a grant to make it more transparent and reasonable.

As it was mentioned earlier, the majority of target measures and indicators of the subprogramme are executed. For example, according to Fund, more than 90% of the submitted applications are registered as intellectual property items, i.e., patents are granted. But, auditors noted, it is not always possible to trace the future of these patents in connection with insufficiency of mechanisms of assessment of their implementation and lack of the unrolled statistical information.

The subprogramme measure value "Revenue of the companies project participants received from results of research activity", exceeded the planned level in 2013 more than by 7 times, 2014 – almost by 8.5 times, and in 2015 – more than by 8 times. At the same time, according to the auditor, 11 of 36 participating companies which received at the end of 2014 revenue from results of research activity of more than 100 million rubles belong to foreign legal entities that does not contradict the law "About the innovation center "Skolkovo". However, according to 14-FZ "About limited liability companies" the companies having the right to distirbute profit between participants of society. Thus, there are risks that the part of the specified funds can be allocated to founders, including foreign legal entities which are in offshore jurisdictions.

The board noted that the compulsory provision of effective implementation of state programs, in addition to successful accomplishment of the planned target indicators and indicators, is also accomplishment of actions at the scheduled time. The fact that in 2014 and 2015 target indicators of the subprogramme "Creation and development of the innovation center "Skolkovo" of the state program "Economic development and the innovation economy" were executed, and actions were not implemented at the scheduled time, says that when developing the subprogramme and during its implementation the agreement between target indicators and its main actions was not provided. In such situation the real efficiency of accomplishment of the subprogramme cannot be defined. In this regard the Ministry of Economic Development together with the Ministry of Finance needs to make adjustment of the subprogramme having coordinated achievement of target indicators to accomplishment of key events of actions.

The subsidy size to Skolkovo Foundation in 2013-2015 was 58.1 billion rubles of the federal budget. At the same time for the beginning of 2013 the Fund had a remaining balance of a subsidy of last years of 22.9 billion rubles Besides, in 2015 on earlier signed agreements contractors was returned to Skolkovo Foundation of 0.5 more billion rubles. Thus, the total amount of means in the checked period was 81.5 billion rubles. Expenses of fund and its subsidiaries in 2013-2015 made 65 billion rubles or about 80% of this volume.

When planning subsidies the Ministry of Finance did not consider the unused balances which are available for Fund. So, in 2013 in the presence of unused means of 22.9 billion rubles, to Fund, according to the law on the federal budget for 2013, the subsidy in the amount of 13.5 billion rubles was provided. Expenses of Fund in 2013 by a subsidy made about 20.5 billion rubles, i.e. is more than 2 billion rubles less than the being available remaining balance. As a result, the subsidy of 2013 in full passed for 2014 in the form of an unused balance. This situation caused formation of unused balances and subsequent 2014 and 2015. Available funds were placed Fund on accounts in credit institutions that brought to Fund 5 billion rubles of an additional income.

It is established that as of January 1, 2016 the unused balance of a subsidy on Skolkovo Foundation made 16.5 billion rubles of the federal budget. At the same time the fund according to the law on the federal budget on the treasury account lists a subsidy remaining balance in the amount of 15.4 billion rubles that is 1.1 billion rubles less reflected in the reporting sent to the Ministry of Finance. The deviation from the stated volume is caused by existence of account balances of subsidiaries in the amount of 507.5 million rubles which should not have been transfered to account, the Fund opened in treasury and also account balances of Fund in credit institutions in foreign currency of 658 million rubles did not list a currency remaining balance in connection with receiving the corresponding explanations of the Ministry of Finance. At the same time provisions of Article 5 of the law on the federal budget for 2016 do not contain an exception regarding transfer of a remaining balance of means depending on currency. The Ministry of Finance use of a remaining balance of 2015 by Fund on earlier set purposes is authorized. Along with it, according to the agreement nearly 2 billion rubles of 14 billion rubles provided by the budget for 2016 are still transferred to Fund.

Participants of Board came to opinion that for the purpose of prevention of derivation of means of the federal budget it is reasonable to perform transfer of the rest of a subsidy for 2016, taking into account complete use of the permitted remaining balance of last years and the listed subsidy in 2016.

Providing to Skolkovo Foundation subsidies for announcement of costs on payment of the import customs duty and the VAT suffered by project participants is performed on the basis of the order of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 5, 2011 No. 339. In 2013-2015 according to the agreement signed between FCS Russia and Fund, the subsidy is listed of 1.2 billion rubles. At the same time by check it is established that in the agreement the sizes of subsidies are not determined, there is no control procedure from FCS behind execution of its conditions. In 2013-2015 subsidies were annually underused: in 2013 the amount of a remaining balance was 393.6 million rubles, in 2014 – 163.7 million rubles, in 2015 – 89.7 million rubles. Unused balances of subsidies are listed in federal the budget at the scheduled time. At the same time auditors noted - the formation of these remaining balance caused by lack of the reasonable forecast of need for budgetary appropriations for providing subsidies for the next financial year demonstrates unreasonable derivation of means of the federal budget.

According to the legislation financial provision of the Skolkovo project is performed first of all at the expense of own means of management company and subsidiaries and only then at the expense of means of the federal budget and other sources. At the same time expenses of the consolidated budget of Fund in 2013-2015 almost for 95% were provided at the expense of means of the federal budget. Expenses of the consolidated budget of Fund in which the investments of private investors attracted to creation of infrastructure facilities of ITs "Skolkovo" at the expense of own means are not considered grew quite slowly and did not meet expectations. So, according to the approved consolidated budget of Fund for financing sources at the expense of extrabudgetary funds in 2013 it was going to provide about 4% of expenses, 2.8% are actually provided. For 2014 the planned value of joint financing of expenses of Fund at the expense of the sources which are not connected with means federal the budget was set at the level of 17%, and for 2015 – 30%, the actual share of expenses at the expense of extrabudgetary funds made 5.9 and 9.4% respectively.

At a meeting of Board it was mentioned that expenses on program implementation of construction of facilities of the real estate of ITs "Skolkovo" in 2013-2015 made 36.7 billion rubles or 91.7%. During the checked period changes were made to the Program of construction of 17 times. Deviations on terms of construction and volumes of the mastered means, including subsidies, are available practically on all objects of ITs "Skolkovo". The actual volume of the planned construction at the expense of means of the consolidated budget of Skolkovo Foundation is approved of 373.8 thousand m ² that does not correspond to the construction volume (403 thousand sq.m) approved by the subprogramme "Creation and development of the innovation center "Skolkovo".

During check expenses of Skolkovo Foundation which economic feasibility is unreasonable are revealed. For example, in 2013 the Fund made the decision on construction of residential apartments at the expense of a fund with attraction of the credit of VEB for the amount of 2.6 billion rubles. At the same time the Fund located at that time a remaining balance of subsidies of the federal budget in the amount of 3.9 billion rubles that does attraction of borrowing facilities insufficiently reasonable. Other example, - the relations taking place during an activity period "the Skolkovo Club of Angel investors" in 2014 were issued by the agreement signed by Skolkovo Foundation in 2015 with R.I.M. Porter Novelli LLC. Payment under the agreement was performed by Skolkovo Foundation in the amount of 2.1 million rubles proceeding from the number of participants at the event in 200 people, however, actually 120 people took part in it. Thus, excessive expenses on holding this action made 852.6 thousand rubles.

The board of Accounts Chamber made the decision to send a prestavleniye about elimination of violations to Skolkovo Foundation, the information letter - in the Government of the Russian Federation, the address - in the Prosecutor General's Office. The report will be sent to FSB and chambers of Federal Assembly.

2013

The program till 2020

In August, 2013 the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved as the order new edition of the state program "Economic development and the innovation economy". The document includes the subprogramme on development of the innovation center "Skolkovo".

Validity period of this subprogramme is limited to the period from 2013 to 2020 inclusive. To this term the construction of the innovation center "Skolkovo" should be completed. During this time the total amount of its budget financing will be 125.2 billion rubles. From this amount of costs:

• in 24.3 billion rubles fall on 2013,
• 23 billion rubles will be invested in 2014,
• but 2015 the amount of 18.3 billion rubles is planned.

These costs are entered to the federal budget of 2013 and reflected in planning period for two next years.

In addition to budget investments not less than 50% of the total costs of creation of the innovation center "Skolkovo" are going to be attracted due to public and private partnership. Is declared that the volume of the external financing attracted for project implementation of project participants Skolkovo and the Skolkovo institute of science and technologies from 2013 for 2020 will be more than 110 billion rubles.

V. Putin cancels the D. Medvedev's order about assignments of state companies in an endowment fund of Skoltech

In January, 2012 the presidential commission on upgrade decided that will finance Skoltech through an endowment fund. Medvedev ordered to state companies to transfer within three years in fund 1% of programs of the innovative development, or 0.5-3% of net profit for the expired year, was going to collect 30 billion rubles, officials did not exclude that state companies will continue to deduct means further. For 2012 state companies transferred only 4 billion rubles, in 2013 assignments were not, the federal official knows.

In June, 2013 it became known that the president Vladimir Putin cancelled order of the predecessor president Dmitry Medvedev that state companies should deduct means in an endowment fund of the Skolkovo institute of science and technologies (Skoltech), the employee of federal agency told Vedomosti and the high-ranking official of the government confirmed. This order of Putin has a signature stamp "for office use" therefore he is not known, one of interlocutors of Vedomosti says.

Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained that state companies can finance Skolkovo voluntarily. Medvedev's press secretary Natalya Timakova refused comments.

The federal official explains that Skoltech will be completely we depend on budget financing which is till 2015, and private orders. "The purpose of an endowment was it to avoid, but it was necessary to collect at least 15 billion rubles" — he complains.

Heads of several state companies handled an initiative to cancel assignments to Putin, the federal official notes, but does not call what. State companies did not want to pay because they did not acquire any rights in project management, for example could not order to Skoltech of a research or training of specialists, the top manager of one of state companies explains:

"Therefore all wanted to develop innovations independently. Contributions to Skoltech resembled a tribute, but not investments".

Rosneft creates the center of researches in Skolkovo and considers it a sufficient contribution to the project, the employee of the company notes. His colleague from Gazprom says that the monopoly considers more effective to finance researches of industry institutes. Inter RAO also wants to finance industry developments, the company allocates funds in Energy without Borders fund, the representative says it. Rostec under the law has no opportunity to do charity work, the employee of state corporation explains. The representative of the Russian Railway could not report a position of the company.

Financing is suspended, the project is not so effective as it was planned, the high-ranking official of the government recognizes:

"At first it is necessary to construct infrastructure, then to speak about researches. Until one building in the clean floor"^[2] is built^[2].

Putin considers the project artificial and always separated from it, for example never visited building, the federal official says, financial violations which in 2013 are investigated by Investigative Committee could push to decision-making of the president:

"Besides after Vladislav Surkov's dismissal Skolkovo lost the influential curator who could convince the president not to draw hasty conclusions".

The Putin's team once again won the Medvedev's team, it seems that Skolkovo will be closed soon, the vice president of RUIE Igor Jürgens believed:

"It will be an error, venture investments cannot yield so soon result".

If in Skolkovo there are financial violations, it is necessary to open affairs and to finish them until anybody's guilt is proved, Jürgens notes.

"At a project startup all understood political risks. Unfortunately, they were implemented" — the top manager recognizes Skolkovo.

More than 200 employees are fined based on check of Accounts Chamber

On November 18, 2013 the Accounts Chamber reported that in connection with the numerous violations revealed earlier during check in Skolkovo connected with its activity and shortcomings of the organization of internal control 10 authority punishments were applied to employees, including - to bosses of fund and its subsidiaries, and 211 employees did not earn the monetary reward in full for 2012 Read more here.

New parts of check of Accounts Chamber: financial violations for 3.8 billion rub

In the middle of February, 2013 additional parts about check results became known. In particular, the Accounts Chamber announced identification of financial violations in Skolkovo Foundation for the amount of 3.8 billion rubles and also absence in the subsidies selected for project implementation Skolkovo, specific target indicators in a binding to terms of their implementation. The last "creates risks of efficiency evaluation of their use", believe in Accounts Chamber.

With respect thereto the Accounts Chamber read plans to perform monitoring of use of budget subsidies of fund in 2013 and in the end of the year to begin complex audit of efficiency of expenditure by the center of budgetary funds. Based on monitoring Skolkovo should develop criteria for evaluation of efficiency of use of subsidies by it from the federal budget.

In total the fund should perform 52 actions for elimination of violations and shortcomings of the activity. On February 18, 2013 the vice president for communications Skolkovo Alexander Chernov told TAdviser that now their fund continues work on elimination of notes of Accounts Chamber. He did not sound the largest financial violations revealed during autumn check. Did not call them and in the most Accounts Chamber, having referred to the fact that the signature stamp "Confidentially" was appropriated to the report on check.

According to Chernov, many notes of Accounts Chamber have technical character: for example, it is need of a statement of a number of documents – regulations and rules. As for development of criteria of efficiency, the fund began work on them and continues in the course of the activity, he told TAdviser. Chernov explains duration of this process with lack in Russia of experiment on creation of profile projects, comparable on scale. Complete development of criteria and submit them for approval in the government the fund calculates until the end of the year.

February 28, 2013. The Investigative Committee reported that it in addition to earlier known episodes also began verification of the arrived operational information about the facts of inappropriate expenditure of 3.5 billion rubles selected for development of the innovation center. According to bodies, they were placed on deposits of the Metcombank created by the Renova group which chairman of the board of directors is the president of Skolkovo Foundation Victor Vekselberg. "The subsidies selected to Fund from the federal budget for creation of the Skolkovo center for a progressive tense settled on deposits in credit institution", the Investigative Committee explains.

In addition the investigation also checks the fact of transfer by fund in the form of a grant more than 400 million rubles the organization which was not a project participant Skolkovo, and information on unreasonable transfer by fund and its "daughter" "Joint directorate on design and construction of Development center and commercialization of new technologies" in 2011 more than 37 million rubles to a number of contract organizations for the works which are not provided by agreements.

On the same day, on February 28, Skolkovo issued the official statement in connection with new check of police. In particular, the fund noted that from the moment of receipt of funds, selected from the federal budget within a subsidy, into accounts of Fund they, according to the Budget code, cease to be budget and become its property.

The fund claims that all received means not only were spent according to its purposes and tasks, but also, being temporarily free and placed on deposits of Metcombank from August 5 to December 30, 2010 brought also additional unplanned income in the amount of 79.52 million rubles. These means also came to the budget of Skolkovo Foundation and afterwards also "were spent for its authorized activity", speak in fund. In the same place add that Metcombank was the only commercial bank which agreed to place their temporarily available funds on deposits with a possibility of early withdrawal without penalties and with charge of percent for the actual storage life of means on a deposit at the rate above market.

As for the statement of Investigative Committee for selection in the form of a grant of 400 million rubles the organization, not being the project participant Skolkovo, in fund assume that the speech, probably, is about funds which were allocated for creation of the SkolTech university, "future innocentre which is one of "cornerstones"".

2012

Check of Accounts Chamber of use of state funds, criminal cases

In September-October, 2012 the Accounts Chamber according to the appeal of FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out an inspection of use of the funds of the federal budget allocated for creation and providing functioning of the innovation center "Skolkovo". Its results were transferred to law enforcement agencies.

On the basis of the materials received from Accounts Chamber and materials of FSB the Investigative Committee (IC) brought criminal case by Part 4 of Article 160 of UK (plunder of the entrusted someone else's property by waste) concerning the former director of the department of finance of management company of the innovation center - Skolkovo Foundation - Kirill Lugovtsev and the CEO of Skolkovo customs financial company Vladimir Khokhlov. According to SK, criminal cases were brought also concerning "other persons". The amount of plunder, according to the investigation, was 23.8 million rubles.

The Skolkovo customs financial company (further - TFK "Skolkovo") was created in 2011 as subsidiary company of Skolkovo Foundation. Its task included a design of the customs loads intended for development of the innovation center. According to SK, on Lugovtsev the duty to control its financial activities lay.

As found out the investigation, budgetary funds were spent for the premises for TFK "Skolkovo" leased at the Nika company belonging to Lugovtsev's parents, and all money according to the lease agreement was transferred in the advance payment in three years ahead without the right of their return to the tenant in case of agreement cancelation. Also SK established that Khokhlov and Lugovtsev made the decision on payment of an overhaul of the leased building.

In addition the police established that in two years of existence of TFK "Skolkovo" which staff made about 10 people with the salary from 300 to 600 thousand rubles only one customs operation was performed.

Plans of law enforcement agencies within criminal cases include also check of activity of officials of the Ministry of Finance who exercised control of expenditure of the budgetary funds allocated Skolkovo.

Skolkovo reacted to the appeared information on the opened criminal cases with the message that their fund independently transferred materials about the financial violations revealed during internal audit in one of subsidiary companies to competent authorities. However SK right there disproved it, having stated that, on the contrary, the fund hid data on violations, but was forced them to publish after the Accounts Chamber began check.

State subsidies of 31.6 billion rub for 2 years

On February 18, 2013 the Accounts Chamber reported that during the period from 2010 to October 1, 2012 the general size of the subsidies directed to project implementation Skolkovo was 31.6 billion rubles. The management company - Skolkovo Foundation - for this period spent 18.9 billion rubles (59.8% of the received subsidy).

2011: Plans of selection of 76 billion rub till 2014

At the beginning of 2011 it became known that in 2011 Skolkovo, according to Victor Vekselberg, it intends to invest $750 million in construction of infrastructure and $300 million in financing of projects^[3].

In April, 2011 the RBC-Daily edition reported that all 76 billion rubles were selected for the Skolkovo project till 2014. At the same time the Development center and commercializations is going to raise funds from non-budgetary sources.

2010

Plans of selection of 85 billion rub till 2013

For the project of the innovation center "Skolkovo" it will be selected from the state budget of 85 billion rubles in three years. It was said on October 15, 2010 by the president of the fund of the same name Victor Vekselberg. Earlier the Ministry of Finance was going to select for the Skolkovo innovation center 54 billion rubles in 2011-2013. On October 11, 2010 Vekselberg said that financing of the project will demand 180-200 billion rubles in three years. At the same time he noted that the budget should enclose about a half from all means, and the rest will finance private equity^[3].

The government decree about selection of 3.9 billion rub

In the summer of 2010 it became known that the amount of 3.991 billion rubles which will receive (according to order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 565 of July 26, 2010 published on July 29, 2010) from the federal budget Skolkovo Foundation in accuracy matches that which was requested from the government by the president of fund Victor Vekselberg at the beginning of July, 2010 in the letter No. IP-01-004-VVF addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Sobyanin. Detailed breakdown of the budget of fund is given in the enclosure. This organization until the end of 2010 is going to spend more than $4 million only for advertizing and PR.

The fund, as it appears from the explanatory note, just is not going to spend all money selected with the government. It is supposed that temporarily available funds will be partially placed in banks, are partially delivered in trust management. Thus, the fund for half a year expects to earn 58.85 million rubles.

If to consider that the average size of temporarily available funds, according to the plan, will be 1.596 billion rubles, it will turn out that money will be placed with profitability about 7.5% per annum. It is quite good: Sberbank offers the population even smaller deposit interests.

Expenditure of fund are broken by authors of the document into four groups, at the same time one of them — expenses on management of the center — any expenses does not assume at all (literally and it is written: "0 thousand rubles"), and therefore at first sight it is also not necessary. But authors of a note nevertheless considered it necessary to explain why the top management is ready not to take Skolkovo this year of money for the services: any object in the center it is not constructed yet, they write, so, and to manage there is nothing.

Objects will appear in the innovation center not earlier than 2011. For now for their construction until the end of 2010 it is going to spend about 247 million rubles. 10 million rubles will leave them on development of the concept of building of the territory, and the lion share of the amount — 225 million rubles — will be spent for design and exploration work.

The second significant item of expenditure — 401.2 million rubles — activity of fund and its child structures. Follows from its contents that the staff of fund will be not bad socially protected: 143.8 million rubles will go to it.

"Expenses of this article are expected proceeding from fund of providing social guarantees and compensation one employee in the amount of 276 thousand rubles a month, at the same time the average number of employees of fund and its child structures in the considered budget period should be 104 persons", the document says.

For employees the 13th salaries, awards, policies of voluntary medical insurance and the other benefits are provided.

For PR-maintenance of activity of fund it is going to spend 38.7 million rubles. On media placement and advertizing — 92.8 million rubles, on branding — 12.9 million rubles, on the website and blogs — 3.1 million rubles.

On August 5, 2010 the Skolkovo Foundation received 3.991 billion rubles selected to it according to the government decree into the accounts. The chief executive of fund Victor Maslakov told Marker about it.

The main expense group of Skolkovo Foundation — 3.4 billion rubles — is called "Pilot projects and creation of the innovation environment". Nearly 2.6 billion rubles will leave them on the projects approved by the presidential commission on upgrade, and 287 more million rubles — on projects which will be selected by management company of the fund. "It is also necessary to note need of creation of the Center of intellectual property for ensuring the activity of patent agents provided by 22 intergovernmental agreements in which the Russian Federation participates" — authors of a note believe. 150 million rubles will be spent for it until the end of 2010.

Notes