International IT cluster of the Nizhny Novgorod region iCluster

The International IT Cluster (iCluster) is a non-profit association of Russian and international corporations, companies, startups, specialists and experts in the IT industry.

The business association, whose strategy is aimed at uniting Russian and foreign companies, which in the framework of mutual cooperation will form integral chains for the development, production and commercial sale of products competitive in the Russian and international market with an IT component.

Specialization Areas

Areas of specialization of the Information iCluster for January 2020:

• AI-City - Innovative Technologies for Urban and Regional Development
• HR IT - IT Workforce Development, Skills Assessment and IT Profile Visualization
• Russian Soft - implementation of import substitution program in IT sphere
• Innovation Hub - Creating an Innovation Catalog
• Industrial IT - creation of an industrial consortium of IT developers and industry

Mission iCluster: to create in the Nizhny Novgorod region the best conditions in Russia and the world for the development of the IT industry through the development of high technologies to improve the quality of life of people.

The IT cluster team coordinates the interaction of customers and software developers, helps startups promote promising innovations in the Russian and global markets, presents novice teams to the IT community, HR brands of companies, interesting projects and technologies to young specialists.

Services

iCluster services for partners and participants as of January 2020:

• Development of IT infrastructure - investments in the future of the IT industry of Nizhny Novgorod and the Nizhny Novgorod region, support of companies and projects. By the beginning of 2020, at the implementation stage, the construction of an IT campus in the historical part of the city;
• Corporate startup platform - search, implementation, promotion of breakthrough solutions, innovations of experienced companies and teams of young developers. The goal is to increase business efficiency, reduce company costs, and promote new IT solutions. Implemented projects: Sberbank Startup Garage, Innovation Retail Lab, Multi - D Platform/JSC ASE (Rosatom), Smart City Accelerator;
• The HiBrain ecosystem is a platform for training and employing specialists in the field of IT and Digital, corporate training of employees, training and conducting courses of IT companies, updating university training programs, analytics and monitoring the personnel potential of regions. By 2020, the site unites 20 Nizhny Novgorod companies, cooperates with 6 main universities of Nizhny Novgorod and 2 colleges of the region. With HiBrain, companies find talented specialists on the staff, promote their HR brand and projects to novice programmers and Internet marketers, influence specialized training programs at universities;
• Catalog iCluster - the project is aimed at promoting the brand and development of IT companies (Product, Insource/R & D and Outsource, Integrators) of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The goal is to consolidate the most complete information about information technologies being developed in the Nizhny Novgorod region, introduced in Russia and abroad. The tasks of the project include forming a rating of companies and products, securing the region the status of the leader of the Russian IT industry and a significant IT center at the global level;
• PR, Event and Marketing - annually iCluster organizes various events in Nizhny Novgorod, initiates publications in federal, regional media about technology and business.
• GR support and promotion are strategic measures to promote IT initiatives of cluster partners together with the Government and federal and regional authorities. The goals are to support the Russian IT-Business, create comfortable conditions for the life and development of young specialists in Nizhny Novgorod. Initiatives implemented: construction of the IT quarter, tax incentives to Nizhny Novgorod IT companies, training of IT personnel, holding thematic IT events.

History

2020

By the beginning of 2020, there iCluster more than 9 partners and corporations, 7 universities, over 70 IT companies, 4,500 IT specialists and more than 250 projects/startups.

2019

Start of IT Quarter Construction Project

Construction of the IT quarter: together with the Nizhny Novgorod Government, the iCluster began to implement a project to build a quarter for the work and life of IT specialists with developed infrastructure in the historical part of the city. In 2019, an investment fund was opened, the first building was presented and a 3D model of the future IT quarter was presented.

IT Market Analytics in Nizhny Novgorod Region

With the support of the Nizhny Novgorod office, Intel conducted an IT market analyst in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

More than 200 publications

In 2019, more than 200 publications were initiated about partners and participants in the IT cluster in regional and federal media.

Starting the platform HiBrain

HiBrain: IT training and employment platform was launched in May 2019. During the six months of work, about 500 students took HiBrain training at the courses, 30 graduates were accepted for internships or immediately to the staff of Nizhny Novgorod IT companies. In the future, it is planned to scale the platform to the All-Russian level.

Participation in the Smart City project

Smart City: participation in the implementation of the Smart City project, promoting technological solutions of partners and participants at the regional and municipal levels.

Legislative initiative: by clarifying the Cluster Policy Development Strategy, a model of public-private partnership (PPP) and concession in the field of Smart City/Smart Region has been developed.

Presentation of the first version of the project catalog of partners and participants

Catalog iCluster: at the end of the year, the IT cluster presented the first version of the catalog of projects of partners and participants. The purpose of the project is to effectively promote and position IT companies, present promising projects to the IT community, rank IT companies by rating and assign the status of the IT capital to the Nizhny Novgorod region.

2018

Services to iCluster members

Services iCluster as of February 2018:

• Creating an ecosystem is an aid in organizing final product production chains and including cluster members in such chains, for example: Marketing → R&D → Prototyping, prototyping → Programming, IT → Chip manufacturing, hardware → Sales.
• Support cluster members in the effective implementation of their business functions: R&D. Sales. Marketing. VED. Investments. Personnel, training.
• Attracting investments in cluster member projects by interacting with investors and venture capital funds.
• Formation and development of a federal and international permanent platform for attracting domestic and foreign investments.
• The formation and development of the federal and international educational platform in the priority areas of cluster specialization at all levels of training: from ordinary to managerial level.
• Facilitating export activities of cluster members in target markets by carrying out specific organizational measures and communication with responsible state authorities and state organizations.
• Representation of legitimate interests of cluster members at the level of regional and federal authorities of the Russian Federation, as well as abroad.
• Presentation of legitimate initiatives to receive and retain tax benefits for members of the cluster, no worse than in Innopolis and Skolkovo
• Protection of interests of cluster members in case of unlawful actions against them by any 3 persons, including abroad

Partner Model Technical model for working with partners iCluster

• Market place with open/ API SDK
• Recommended Application Development Technology Stack
• Digital Platform Data Model and Bus Description, Open API
• CRM for Customers and Partners

Organizational and Legal Model for Working with Partners iCluster

• Distribution and Partner Programs
• License Agreements
• Sublicensing contracts
• Corporate Venture Investment Fund

Specialization Areas

Areas of specialization iCluster for February 2018:

• Games, gamification
• Artificial intelligence
• Productivity IT Solutions
• Education
• [[Internet of Things (IoT)|[[Internet of Things (IoT)|[[Internet of things of Internet of Things (IoT)|[[Internet of things of Internet of Things (IoT)|[[Internet of things of Internet of Things (IoT)|Internet of Things (IoT)]]]]]]]]]

Launch of about 30 pilots

Over 250 projects were considered, about 30 pilot projects were launched together with corporations.

Participation in working groups on the development and implementation of the strategy of the Nizhny Novgorod region

Active participation in working groups on the development and implementation of the strategy of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The proposed iCluster initiatives were agreed and approved in the regional development strategy for 2019-2024.

2017

1. About 300 existing IT companies, including:

• global: Intel Russia - official partner, Samsung (Harman) - resource partner and resident at the same time, NetCracker Technology, MERA, SberTech, Onlyoffice
• federal: LANIT, CRIC, LAD-Project, Clouds-nn, Rarus, Moriso, Bingo-software
• IT outsourcing big business MTS:,,,, Megaphone Sberbank Greenatom OTSO Sibur

2. Large state-owned companies and large businesses developing their own IT systems: RFNC-VNIIEF - resource partner, Atom Stroy Export (NIAEP) - General Partner, Rostelecom - resource partner, Sberbank, MTS, etc.
3. Medium business actively using IT solutions: Heat exchanger, Promis, Salyut, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.
4. large universities: NNSU, NSTU, HSE, NASU, RANEPA, etc.
5. 20,000 working IT specialists
6. Development infrastructure: Ankudinovka Technopark, NIBI, FSI, FRII, RVC
7. Public associations in IT:

• Working Group of the Public Council on IT at MININFORM (40 organizations)
• residents of IT - Ankudinovka technopark company (20 companies)
• IT Directors Club (40 companies)
• IT 52 Info (1100 IT Professionals)

Organizational Chart of iCluster

Product model for building chains of cooperation iCluster

Product model for building chains of cooperation iCluster, 2017

Creating an IT Cluster

Q4 2017 - IT Cluster Announcement. Start of activity. Agreements with partners.

Strategy development and approval

Q3 2017 - Strategy approval and approval for 2017 - 2021 Reception of first residents: 36 participants and 6 partners

March-June 2017 - Strategy development and organizational arrangements for IT cluster formation - round tables, strategic sessions, working groups

Start of work

In 2017, iCluster officially announced the start of work and signed the first partnership agreements with IT companies. Before the start of work, a cluster development strategy was approved and the first residents were previously accepted - 36 participants and 6 partners.

2016

Order of the NO Government of December 29, 2016 No. 2169-r