RFRIT Russian Information Technology Development Fund

Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the organization of the FRIT on January 24, 2017. The main activity of the structure is aimed at import substitution of system digital products with domestic samples.

RFRIT is an operator state of support for the development and implementation of Russian digital solutions, carried out Ministry of Digital Development Russia within the framework of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy." The foundation is part of the group ВЭБ.РФ.

History

2023

IT companies that received 0.5 billion rubles from RFRIT launched products on the commercial market

The IT companies that received 0.5 billion rubles from RFRIT brought the products to the commercial market. The press service of the fund told about this at the end of January 2024. We are talking about the following projects:

Rosgeo Field Design Platform

Grant amount: 47 million rubles. Field of development: Means of processing and analysis of geological and geophysical data

IT companies that received grants from RFRIT have launched products on the commercial market

Predictive AI Analytics Platform for Danaflex-Nano Flexible Packaging

Grant amount: 121.5 million rubles. Development direction: AI.

CyberStudio "Cyberphysics"

Grant amount: 56.6 million rubles. Field of Development: Industrial Equipment Analytics and Process Optimization.

Naumen CX Naumen Consulting

Grant amount: 20 million rubles. Development direction: Tools for controlling dialog robots.

DocsRiver Holmont Business Solutions

Grant amount: 20 million rubles. Development Direction: Centralized Endpoint Management Tools

Digital Automation Service Platform cloud computing ""RUSTEK

Grant amount: 70 million rubles. Development Area: Cloud and Distributed Computing Tools. Wortex "Knowledge Lab" "'

Grant amount: 62.6 million rubles. Development Direction: Data Mining

Retail Suite.Global "Flight"

Grant amount: 99.94 million rubles. Development Direction: ERP

According to RFRIT, in total in 2023 the fund supported 9 particularly significant projects worth more than 5.3 billion rubles with grants. 131 IT companies were supported under a marketing promotion program in the amount of 70 million rubles. 2 billion rubles of revenue were shown by IT companies supported by the fund, which are developing promising solutions for the market. 1200 high-tech jobs were created to implement projects supported by RFRIT, the fund added.^[1]

Audit of the grant process

On September 6, 2023, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation announced a change in the procedure for issuing grants for new developments in the field of information technology. This decision was preceded by the arrest of the Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maxim Parshin, who is suspected of receiving a bribe for helping to allocate grants.

Now we analyze the process, lay out, understand where there are some not optimal stages, steps, where we need to do something to make it even more transparent, competitive, where to exclude the possibility of some kind of influence, conditionally, one person, one expert on procedures. Such a complex process, that is, the re-assembly of the grant process, - said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev on September 6, 2023 .

According to him, the department plans to complete the audit of the grant allocation processes by a maximum of mid-October 2023, and until the completion of the audit, new ones will not be issued.

What IT projects in the field of construction are supported by RFRIT grants

In mid-August 2023, it became known what IT projects in the field of construction were supported by grants from the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT). According to the head of the Fund, Alexander Pavlov, when foreign vendors began to leave the Russian market, RFRIT provided and continues to support domestic IT projects in the field of construction and housing and communal services.

Their implementation allows not only to increase the speed of interaction between all participants in the construction market, but also to increase the level of comfort and safety of people. Ultimately, this has a positive effect on the quality of life index of citizens. All supported projects are fundamental for import substitution, and the Fund's task is to help scale and promote them, both in Russian and foreign markets, Pavlov said.

The companies that received financial support from RFRIT included:

• Renga Software, a joint venture between ASCON and 1C (grant amount - 44.3 million rubles);
• Credo-Dialog (RUB 116.1 million);
• Avada Systems (32.8 million rubles);
• "Bimit" (20 million rubles);
• Iridium (25.8 million rubles);
• "Clean Energy" (23.89 million rubles);
• Bimeister Holding (74.8 million rubles);
• SiSoft Development (CSoft Development; 110.2 million rubles);
• Imsat (50.58 million rubles).

As noted in the RFRIT, although foreign software developers have suspended the update, maintenance and renewal of licenses of their products, including programs in the field of BIM design, the Russian market has coped with new challenges, and most developers have begun to use domestic software. Industrial competence centers created on the instructions of the government help developers to effectively solve emerging problems, the fund added.^[2]

RFRIT may resume the program of subsidizing Russian software for small and medium-sized businesses

The Russian Fund of Information Technology Development (RFITD) took the initiative to renew the program of subsidizing of domestic software for small and medium business, having included in it new regions of the Russian Federation, Comnews reported on April 11, 2023. It is possible that subsidies will also apply to additional categories of software.

The initiative in question has been in effect since November 2021. RFRIT compensated entrepreneurs for 50% of the cost of Russian software, and the total budget until the end of 2024 was 7 billion rubles. However, in 2022, the program was suspended due to the exhaustion of the limits allocated for the year.

The Fund appealed to the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (Ministry of Digital Media) with a request to allocate additional funding for the program. The amount of funds requested is not specified, but the plan involves expanding territorial coverage.

For new subjects of the Russian Federation, special conditions of the program are needed, since the situation there requires special attention. In addition, following a request from associations working with NGOs [non-profit organizations], the Federation Council discussed the need to include the non-profit sector in this program. NGOs are also actively working on the development of the social sphere and education, and they need preferential conditions for the purchase of Russian software, - quotes Comnews General Director of RFRIT Alexander Pavlov.

According to surveys, at least 40% of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia are interested in expanding the range of software. The extension of the RFRIT program will help solve this problem. Market participants note that the extension of subsidies to NGOs is a logical development of the initiative. Support measures will also play into the hands of domestic software developers.^[3]

Provision of a grant in the amount of 200 million rubles. for the "Digital Industrial Platform"

Digital Industrial Platform, a joint venture of Zyfra Group of Companies and Gazprom Neft PJSC, received a grant from the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT) for the implementation of a project to modernize the industrial Internet of Things platform for the oil and gas industry as part of a competitive selection for the development of Russian solutions in the field of information technology. The amount of grant financing for the project is 200 million rubles. About this GC "Figure" reported on January 24, 2023. Read more here.

Grant provision in the amount of 70 million rubles. for Rustek

As a result of the competitive selection conducted by the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) as part of the implementation of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of Russia," RUSTEK won a grant in the amount of 70 million rubles for the revision of the digital service platform for automation of cloud computing based on RUSTEK-ESU and RUSTEK. The products of RUSTEK-ESU and RUSTEK are included in the Register of Domestic POMincifra of Russia. RUSTEK announced this on January 11, 2022. Read more here.

Grant of RUB 50 mln to Consist Business Group

The Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT) and Consist Business Group (part of the LANIT group), the rightholder of the platform and applied solutions of the TURBO family, signed an agreement on the provision of a grant in the amount of 50 million rubles for the development of an industry solution TURBO Hotel. LANIT announced this on January 11, 2022. Read more here.

2022

Changing the rules for granting subsidies

In November 2022, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed resolutions approving changes to the rules for granting subsidies to the Russian Information Technology Fund (RFRIT) and the Skolkovo Fund in terms of improving state support for especially significant IT projects. Read more here.

Launch of an accelerator of IT projects together with the Skolkovo Foundation and the National PPP Center

RFRIT, the Skolkovo Foundation and the National PPP Center on September 16, 2022 announced the launch of an IT accelerator designed to increase the number of PPP projects in the field of information technology and increase the efficiency of their implementation. The creation of the program is provided for by a cooperation agreement concluded by RFRIT, the Skolkovo Foundation and the National PPP Center.

The accelerator for the selection and preparation of such initiatives was launched on the basis of the Rosinfra platform, operated by the National PPP Center. Read more here.

Solvers were arrested who tried to arrange the consideration of applications for grants at the RFRIT without a queue for 600 thousand rubles. The deputy general director of the fund did not succumb and attracted the FSB

The Tver court sent the resolvers Yevgeny Dobrovolsky and Ivan Alekhine, who are involved in the case of commercial bribery of the Deputy General Director of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies Ilya Kostunov, under house arrest, the Kommersant newspaper reported on August 2, 2022. For 600 thousand rubles. solvers sought consideration without a queue of applications for grants issued by the fund of two companies - LLC Business Platform of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and LLC Globus Technologies.

The Tver court sent Dobrovolsky and Alekhine under house arrest until September 28, 2022. The Moscow investigation of the TFR is investigating the case.

According to investigators, at the end of June 2022, the solvers developed a criminal plan, part of which was the transfer of money to a person "performing managerial functions" in the RFRIT. The money was planned to be transferred to the deputy general director of the fund for consideration without a queue of applications for budget grants. The first, judging by its website, is developing a messenger that "provides communication with specialists and businessmen" who are members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The second firm develops communication platforms for business.

To fulfill his plan, the case says, Mr. Alekhine on June 23 introduced his friend Dobrovolsky to Ilya Kostunov, whose official duties include organizing and controlling competitive selection for grants, as well as signing agreements if the application is approved. During the conversation, according to Kommersant, Dobrovolsky explained to the deputy head of the RFRIT that it was required to violate the "competitive selection procedure for grants," but made it clear that the service would be paid, calling the price 600 thousand rubles.

However, after listening to the interlocutors, Ilya Kostunov turned to the FSB, and further negotiations were held under the control of the Chekists.

Telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings between the parties lasted more than a month, finally, they agreed on the time and place of the transfer of money. The meeting was scheduled for July 28, 2022 at the Spaten House restaurant on 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. All three met at lunchtime, and at about 13:00 after transferring the entire amount in five thousandth bills, Yevgeny Dobrovolsky was detained by operatives. The solvers were charged with commercial bribery committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (part 3 of article 204 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

RFRIT will support grantees who have difficulties implementing projects due to sanctions

As TAdviser was told in RFRIT, at the next grant committee, which will be held in late July - early August, the first 5 applications for additional funding and adjustment of other conditions from companies that received grants in 2021-2022 will be considered. In total, 20 such appeals were submitted to the RFRIT by mid-July.

According to the general director of RFRIT Alexander Pavlov, after February, IT companies began to contact the fund, which received grants, which, due to changes in market conditions, are forced to revise projects. The PAC components that are provided for in the agreement with the fund cannot be purchased. There are no domestic analogues for some types of solutions. At the same time, not only equipment, but also individual modules and licenses for have risen in ON price, salary requirements for qualified specialists have increased. As a result, the development price has increased significantly.

We have provided an opportunity, within the framework of the "regulation," for those projects that entered the 50/50 co-financing procedure in 2021, to add funds so that companies find a way to solve problems. But they will have to justify the request and the need for the grant committee, - explained to TAdviser the general director of RFRIT.

To support previously approved projects, a resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 6, 2022 No. 598 "On Amendments to the Rules for Granting Subsidies from the Federal Budget of the RFRIT to Support Projects for the Development and Implementation of Russian IT Solutions" was adopted and the procedure for amending the grant agreements was established. As a result, RFRIT was able to further finance and adjust the timing of projects if they had difficulties due to sanctions.

The document provides for 5 options for changing the grant agreement:

• the amount of the grant can be increased within the established limit - up to 80% of the amount of the approved cost estimate (but not more than 500 million rubles);
• the proportion of co-financing can be changed within the established limit - up to 20% of the amount of the approved cost estimate;
• It is possible to extend the project implementation period for up to 6 months;
• It is permissible to extend from 6 months to 1 year the term for inclusion of the decision in the register of domestic software and (or) the register of Russian radioelectronic products;
• The start date of the commercialization indicator for decisions not included in the Registers may be moved from the end date of the last phase of the project to the date of inclusion in the Register.

Funding can be increased for all project expenditure items, including:

• Remuneration Fund (PHF);
• Overhead costs;
• non-financial assets;
• third-party services.

At the same time, Pavlov notes that it is not yet clear how the purchase of equipment within the framework of parallel import procedures will be entered into the projects. Such a procurement model does not fit into the existing legal framework, but some projects cannot be implemented without it. It is now impossible to justify and report on such purchases. It is not yet clear how the purchase will be issued within the framework of parallel imports, there are no precedents. At the same time, according to him, so far there have been no such appeals from companies.

According to RFRIT, from July 2021 to July 2022, the fund supported more than 130 projects. For 2022, the fund was allocated about 15 billion rubles. At the same time, according to Alexander Pavlov, the fund intends to request permission from the government to use the funds allocated for 2023-2024. - 4.5 billion rubles a year. In total, RFRIT in 2022 can spend about 24 billion rubles to support projects. By mid-July 2022, applicants collectively submitted more than 700 applications for grants totaling more than 130 billion rubles, almost two-thirds of them from developers of new production technologies.

Start of competitive selection of specialists for evaluation of projects for grant support

On April 12, 2022, the Russian Information Technology Development Fund announced a competitive selection of specialists for evaluating projects for grant support. Their tasks will include an analytical assessment of projects applying for grant support, interaction with expert organizations, as well as consulting companies on participation in competitive selection.

Candidates for expert positions must meet at least three of the five selection criteria. In particular, to have experience from three years in senior positions in high-tech companies or experience in implementing solutions in the field of priority areas of fund support, to have a degree, to be a member of industry associations.

Ministry of Digital Development conducts consistent work in order to make the grant support tool effective and in demand. financial The company's share in the project has been reduced from 50 to 20%, the maximum grant amount has been increased to 500 million rubles, competitive procedures are changing - as early as April 2022, you can submit a preliminary application for a grant for. public services portal The next task is to involve qualified and authoritative experts in the industry in the assessment of projects, - said Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development. Russia Maxim Parshin

In 2022, the Russian Information Technology Development Fund allocated an additional 10.8 billion for grant support, the total amount is 15.3 billion rubles. It is important for us that the procedure for selecting projects for grant support is objective, transparent and verified by the IT community. Therefore, we decided to strengthen the internal expertise of the fund and form an appropriate department. We invite specialists to participate in the competition, - said Alexander Pavlov, General Director of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies.

Receiving 1.3 billion rubles from Rosinfokominvest

In mid-February 2022, it became known about the decision Ministry of Digital Development to transfer funds "" in the Rosinfokominvesta amount of 1.3 billion to rubles the Russian Development Fund (information technology RFRIT). The latter will direct this money to support Russian developers ON who bring their decisions to foreign markets, the head of RFRIT said. Alexander Pavlov More. here

Yandex will allocate 1.5 billion rubles to promote Russian software on the Internet as part of an amicable agreement with the FAS

Yandex will transfer 1.5 billion rubles to the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT), the funds will be used to promote Russian software products on the Internet. This was announced on January 19, 2022 by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). The transfer of funds is planned as part of the conclusion of a settlement agreement in the trial and the termination of the antimonopoly case between the FAS, Yandex and the applicants in the case - companies that previously complained about Yandex's abuse of the dominant position in search results. Read more here.

Grant to Etton Group

The project of the Etton Group of Companies to create an intelligent system for managing fields and field data received a grant from the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies RFRIT. Etton announced this on January 13, 2021. Read more here.

2021

IT projects will receive ₽6 billion

The Ministry of Digital Development announced the results of grant competitions that were held in 2021. We are talking about the development and implementation of Russian IT solutions. According to the ministry, published on December 28, 2021, technological projects will receive more than 6 billion rubles.

The Russian Information Technology Development Fund selected 62 projects in 2021, which is more than in the previous two years. The total amount of grant support amounted to 4.5 billion rubles. In total, 226 applications were received for the competition (worth more than 36 billion rubles) - twice as much as in 2020.

Among the winners are development projects: decision-making assistance systems for radiologists in planning endoprosthetics operations (LLC RTK Radiology""), a neural network system for semantic analysis and synthesis of content in social networks and instant messengers (LLC Combining Cognitive Associative Systems"," a mobile version of the program for managing merchandising in retail to trade (LLC BASEALT"").

The Skolkovo Foundation selected 12 projects in the amount of grant support of 680 million rubles. Among the winners are projects for pilot implementation: a system for monitoring the state of infrastructure and water supply facilities in the city (GPKO Kalugaoblvodokanal), a single platform for creating digital counterparts for the design and production of transport (STM Research Center LLC).

The Innovation Assistance Fund supported projects worth 1.2 billion rubles. Also, the fund announced competitive selections under the programs "Development-CT" and "Start-CT-1," the winners of which will be named in 2022.

The grant support indicators planned for 2021 within the framework of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" have been fully fulfilled. At the same time, the funnel of incoming projects and the geography of the regions involved have been significantly expanded, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maxim Parshin said.

TAdviser interview with CEO Alexander Pavlov

General Director of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) Alexander Pavlov in an interview with TAdviser spoke about the start of a new wave of grant support for IT companies and projects for the introduction of digital technologies, as well as about the changed strategy of the fund and new directions of its work. Read more here.

Launch of grant tenders for IT projects in the amount of 3.8 billion rubles

On July 15, 2021, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation announced the launch of grant competitions for IT projects conducted by the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT). By the end of the year, such companies will be provided with financial support in the amount of 3.8 billion rubles.

Developers of software and IT equipment can apply for grants of 20-300 million rubles. Companies implementing Russian IT companies will be able to count on rewards in the range from 120 to 300 million rubles. For some projects, the minimum threshold has been reduced to 10 million (in particular, for the areas "Engineering Software," "Control Systems" and "Software Development and Application Creation Tools").

Companies can take part in the competition without restrictions on OKVED and revenue, including startups and spin-offs (divisions of large companies allocated to individual organizations). At the request of the companies, the requirements for the package of documents have been optimized and the possible project implementation time has been increased from 12 to 18 months. The maximum salary of employees of IT companies applying for a grant is 240 thousand rubles, which is 20% more than before.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development, the conditions for receiving grants have become much easier and take into account the wishes of companies. The department clarified TAdviser that one of the key steps to simplify the process was to exclude the justification of the financial model from the package of documents that need to be submitted with an application for a grant. To this, companies previously had many questions.

Our task is to make grants an understandable and convenient support tool and overcome the stereotype that it is difficult or even impossible to get them. Thanks to communication with companies and work done by RFRIT on errors, it has become easier to receive grants for the development of IT projects and digitalization of companies, "said Russian Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maxim Parshin.

According to him, by the end of 2021, it is planned to launch a mechanism for submitting applications for grants on the portal of public services. Grant support programs are carried out within the framework of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation."

Management and strategy are changing in the Russian IT Development Fund

and Ministry of Digital Development Russia ВЭБ.РФ are reforming the RFRIT in accordance with the instructions of the Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin^[4]service of the RFRIT told TAdviser on May 24, 2021. The Supervisory Board, led by the Minister of Digital Development Maksuta Shadaeva , decided to change the CEO and approved new strategic areas of the fund.

In addition to grant support for the development and implementation of Russian digital solutions, the fund will have three new areas of activity: ensuring the implementation of support measures and preparing new initiatives together with the IT industry, developing the direction of open source development, as well as ensuring the entry of Russian digital solutions into the global market.

RFRIT 2.0 should become a more significant development institution and much wider than the operator for the distribution of state support measures. The new strategy involves a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to the development of the IT industry: grant support for projects, communication with companies 24/7 and assistance with access to world markets, and special attention to the promising direction of Open Source, - said Andrey Vanin, Senior Vice President of Sberbank and member of the Supervisory Board of RFRIT.

To implement the export of Russian digital solutions, RFRIT will transfer the functions of the Rosinfokominvest fund planned for liquidation. Within the framework of the federal project "Digital Technologies" for the period until 2024, RFRIT will send 20.5 billion rubles to grant support for the development and implementation of Russian digital solutions and 7 billion rubles to reimburse the costs of using Russian software by small and medium-sized businesses.

The fund will be managed by Alexander Pavlov, who previously held the post of adviser to the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and oversaw the direction of international relations and the export of Russian digital solutions. In this position, he will replace Dmitry Kryukov, who headed the organization since June 2019.

Alexander Pavlov noted that the development of the updated RFRIT strategy will take place with the involvement of representatives of the IT industry, the expert community and key ecosystems of digital services and solutions. The work of the fund should be based on the needs of the industry and be as understandable and transparent as possible for its representatives, he stressed.

Approval of the Supervisory Board

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications on February 20, 2021 announced that the order approving the composition of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT), signed by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, was published on the official Internet portal of legal information. The Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev has been appointed Chairman of the Council.

The changed composition also included Vyacheslav Shulenin and Alexander Demyanov (ВЭБ.РФ), Andrey Vanin (Sberbank of Russia), Anna Nesterova (Global Rus Trade), Nikolai Podguzov (Eurasian Development Bank), Evgeny Komar (Apparatus of the Government of the Russian Federation), Valentin Makarov (RUSSOFT), technological entrepreneur Alexander Galitsky.

The first meeting of the supervisory board in this composition will be held on February 26, 2021. One of the key topics will be the approval of the fund's performance indicators for 2021.

Special technological competition has developed in Russia. Russian companies win in fintech, food tech, cartography, search and many other areas. Our task is to help create a fund strategy and prioritize state support for the technological sector, "said Andrey Vanin, Senior Vice President of Sberbank of Russia.

The plans to significantly improve the work of the fund, in particular, to bring those changes that will help the entry of Russian developments into the international market. Direct communication with the industry, defining requests and providing the desired support is what I want to bet on, "commented Anna Nesterova, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Global Rus Trade.

The ongoing changes in the work of RFRIT and its transfer to the management of ВЭБ.РФ suggest that the fund could become a key institute for the development of digital technologies. To strengthen the country's position in international IT competition, you must have such investment instruments, "said Valentin Makarov, President of the RUSSOFT Association.

RFRIT is the operator of state support for the development and implementation of Russian digital solutions carried out by the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia within the framework of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of Russia." As of February 2021, the Government of the Russian Federation is integrating the fund into the management perimeter ВЭБ.РФ.

2020

Summary statistics on competitive selections 2019-2020

Allocation of a grant for RIR for the digitization of the water utility in Glazov

The Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT) co-finances the project of RuSat Infrastructure Solutions JSC (RIR, part of Rosatom State Corporation) to create software modules for the Digital Vodokanal information system for Teplovodokanal. The corresponding agreement between the parties was signed in Moscow, the amount of the grant is over 20 million rubles. RIR (RuSat Infrastructure Decisions) reported this on January 22, 2021. Read more here.

Allocation of grants in the amount of 4.3 billion rubles for the implementation and development of domestic software

Russian information technology On January 12, 2021, the Development Fund (RFRIT) announced TAdviser the results of two competitive selection for grants: support for projects for the implementation of domestic IT solutions (PP RF No. 550) and support for development projects (domestic software PP RUSSIAN FEDERATION No. 1185). 45 companies will receive grants for the development and implementation of domestic software in the amount of 4.3 billion. rubles

12 companies became the winners of the competition for the implementation of domestic IT solutions. Among them are Russian Post, Kalashnikov Concern, Kuzbassrazrezugol, Ural Automobile Plant, EcoStroyResource, RuSat Infrastructure Solutions and others.

So, a grant of 140 million rubles will be received by Mail. Russia The funds will be spent on the implementation and development of a software and hardware complex for supporting decision-making based on the processing and analysis data of the operation of the transport fleet of the federal postal operator.

"Coal company" Kuzbassrazrezugol "" allocated a grant in the amount of 172.03 million rubles for the introduction of an automatic dispatching and control system for the operation of mining transport equipment.

116.999 million rubles will receive the project of the company "EcoStroyResource." For the Samara region, a solution has been introduced that will solve a number of problems of collection and disposal of municipal solid waste. The digital communication platform will unite consumers, waste carriers, storage landfills, processing plants and government officials.

The Ural Automobile Plant will receive a grant in the amount of 92.69 million rubles for the introduction of a unified enterprise management system based on IT. It is planned that in two years the enterprise will transfer existing working processes from Western software to domestic developments, a working model will be created for the entire production cycle - from the design documentation of a new car to its sale.

33 companies became the winners of the competition of projects for the development of domestic software. Among them - New cloud technologies"," ",", "Bank Soft SystemsHaulmont Samara Scientific NtechLab and Production Center" "and 1C others.

The Russian developer of office software "New Cloud Technologies" will receive a grant of 298.59 million rubles for the development of a corporate email system and planning the collaboration of Mailion teams.

Bank Soft Systems has allocated a grant in the amount of 156.3 million rubles for the development/refinement of the RBS system for the provision of remote banking services to legal entities and individuals by Russian banks.

Howlmont, creator of the cloud open source platform for software developers (CUBA Platform), will receive a grant in the amount of 85.24 million rubles for the development of integration with public clouds and CI/CD tools, the development of BPM support, improving visual development tools and the modern UI and UX user interface. The result should be a platform that can be classified as "Low-Code (LCAP) for developers" or "next-generation RAD" (support for creating applications with a minimum amount of coding).

NtechLab specializes in neural network solutions. A grant in the amount of 74.5 million rubles will be allocated for the development of a solution for recognizing a person based on his silhouette, as well as the integration of this recognition technology into the company's existing development - the FindFace biometric system. This development will lead to an increase in the speed and accuracy of the search for people, and will also allow more efficient determination of the trajectory of the object of observation. The algorithm is also capable of recognizing a person's gender, age and emotions.

After the end of the first competitive procedures conducted in 2019, we analyzed the process of submission and examination of applications and came to a more customer-oriented approach. For example, to participate in new competitions, the volume of documents provided was reduced, applications were submitted exclusively in electronic form, and applicants were able to finalize applications several times after their preliminary verification and receipt of an exhaustive list of comments. This approach made it easier to prepare documents for the applicant and speed up the application process. It is very important that thanks to the innovations, many more applications were able to go through formal procedures and enter the stage of evaluating the proposed solutions on the merits, which, ultimately, is the main goal of the fund in organizing the competition, noted Director General of RFRIT Dmitry Kryukov.

In total, 139 applications were submitted to competitions from enterprises from 29 regions of Russia. The largest number of applications were received from Moscow (64), the Republic of Tatarstan (18), St. Petersburg (13), Sverdlovsk (5) and Samara regions (5).

The most popular area of ​ ​ IT was "Organization process management system (MES, APCS (SCADA), ECM , EAM)" - 21 applications, in second place "Recognition Systems (Artificial Intelligence)" - 14 applications, further - "Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP)" - 13 applications.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications Fund will distribute grants to IT developers in the amount of 7 times less than planned

On September 7, 2020, the Russian Information Technology Development Fund determined the winners of the competition for grants for the development of domestic software and an increase in its share in the digital economy, announced in December 2019. The total amount of grants allocated to the winners will amount to 217 million rubles. In December 2019, when the competition was announced, RFRIT TAdviser reported that the fund plans to distribute 1.4 billion rubles as much as possible.

The much lower amount of grants in comparison with the planned amount is due to the fact that not everyone managed to take part in the competition, Dmitry Kryukov, General Director of RFRIT, explained to TAdviser. The reason for this is the short period of submission of applications for the competition. Also, the role was played by the fact that the competition did not indicate priority priorities to support the development of technologies due to the fact that the national program "Digital Economy" had wide priorities.

In the upcoming similar competition, these shortcomings have been eliminated. The remaining part of the planned amount of grants will be distributed within it, as well as a competition for implementation companies, which will be announced very soon.

The winners of the competition for the development of domestic software and an increase in its share in the digital economy were five developers with the following projects:

• Credo-Dialog, Software System Development, Credo Information Modeling Technologies (TIM CREDO) (120 million rubles);
• "Netrika," "Refinement of domestic software" Information and analytical system "N3.Analitika" in order to develop functional characteristics "(34.4 million rubles);
• Iridium, Development of a vertically integrated platform for automation of iRidium buildings (26.2 million rubles);
• "Open code," "Subroutine libraries (SDKs) for text understanding and textual generation based on machine learning for use in new generation digital content management systems" (21 million rubles);
• Scientific and Testing Institute of Integrated Security Systems (NII SOKB), "System for Protecting Documents from Unauthorized Copying of Photography, Replication" (15.5 million rubles).

Due to coronavirus, Russian software developers cannot receive grants of 1.4 billion rubles from RFRIT

Almost 5 months after the end of the acceptance of applications, the results of the competition for the provision of grants for the implementation of projects to develop domestic software and increase its share in the digital economy have not been announced.

The Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) completed the acceptance of applications on February 28, 2020. The processing of the results was delayed for 2.5 months. And only on May 14, applications determined by the RFRIT winners of the competition were submitted for approval to the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, a ministry spokesman told TAdviser.

The TAdviser fund reported that the delay in working with applications was caused by the consequences of the pandemic, in particular, the self-isolation regime: a number of RFRIT employees and experts began to work remotely, the workflow slowed down.

Consideration of applications by the interdepartmental competition commission under the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications took place on June 26, 2020. The fact that its meeting was held more than a month later, after the receipt of applications from the RFRIT, the ministry also explains the ban on face-to-face meetings due to measures to counter the spread of coronavirus. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications also noted that during the preparation of the meeting, the commission studied the applications of the applicants.

Following the meeting, the commission decided to additionally send some applications for examination to the expert council on Russian software (software) under the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. Based on the results of the examination, a final decision will be made on which applications will receive subsidies. Then a protocol will be prepared, which will be sent for approval to the members of the commission, - informed TAdviser in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications

RFRIT Director General Dmitry Kryukov explained to TAdviser that only two applications were sent for examination. One of them is from the field of health care, the other is from the field of construction. The Expert Council on Russian Software has sent applications to compile reviews to industry-specific federal educational institutions. The RFRIT expects that reviews will be received by the council from FOIVs in the 20th of July.

As much as possible within the framework of the competition, RFRIT will issue grants to the winners totaling 1.4 billion rubles. The maximum size of one grant is 500 million rubles.

Improving conditions

On July 2, 2020, the government approved changes that improve the conditions for granting subsidies within the framework of two competitions of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) - on the introduction of domestic products based on end-to-end technologies and for developers of domestic software (software).

The terms of RFRIT grants within the framework of tenders have changed as follows:

• support for projects has become more affordable: the percentage of co-financing at the expense of the grantee has decreased from 50% to 20%;
• the procedures for launching new competitive selections have become simpler;
• the time frame for making decisions on the winners of the competitive selection has been reduced, and the procedures for selecting projects themselves have become more flexible;
• requirements for projects and grantees have become simpler.

RFRIT plans to complete the work on updating and agreeing on the tender documentation and launch new competitive selections during August. The maximum participants in the competitions will be able to receive subsidies in the amount of 8.7 billion rubles from RFRIT in 2020.

The amount of the grant allocated by RFRIT for the project within the framework of the competition for the introduction of domestic products based on end-to-end technologies ranges from 15 million rubles to 1 billion rubles. According to the competition for developers of domestic software, grants of up to 500 million rubles are allocated to projects.

Development Strategy Development 20-30

The Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT) is developing a long-term development strategy for 2020-2030. The fund plans to approve the strategy in May 2020. This was stated by TAdviser Director General of RFRIT Dmitry Kryukov on February 18, 2020.

For example, the venture capital fund, which plans to launch RFRIT - its forecast for withdrawal from projects is 5-7 years. The strategy should at a minimum cover this time, as well as the period of capitalization of projects. Therefore, it makes no sense to write it for less than 10 years, "Dmitry Kryukov explained to TAdviser.

In order to RFRIT, according to him - to include in the strategy all directions of its development. In particular - the creation of a venture capital fund, interaction with the regions, working with associations in the field of IT, holding conferences, developing recommendations for enterprises on digital transformation.

The Fund already intends to provide such recommendations to a number of specific companies - the corresponding private orders were received by it at the end of 2019. In these recommendations, the fund will give enterprises proposals on the most expedient direction of digital transformation. We plan to fully launch this work in 2020, - Dmitry Kryukov told TAdviser.

Similar initiatives, he said, already exist in all other development institutions.

If we talk about working with IT associations, then with several of them we have already held a number of meetings. We build a dialogue and decide on joint events. We will interact with all industry associations, - said Dmitry Kryukov.

A subsidiary venture capital fund to finance projects in the field of IT, according to him, RFRIT will launch in the summer of 2020. The size of the fund can range from 500 million rubles to 3 billion rubles.

The venture fund will be launched with private funds, not government funds. RFRIT has several investors who are ready to invest quite large amounts in it. Within the framework of the fund, they will rely on the expertise and experience of RFRIT, as well as its vision of digital technologies, - Dmitry Kryukov told TAdviser.

What kind of investors are interested in creating a fund he did not say to TAdviser due to the signing of confidentiality agreements with them by the RFRIT.

RFRIT already has an understanding of the project pool of this fund, but we are still continuing to study the market and determine what may be interesting to it, "Dmitry Kryukov told TAdviser.

Also, according to him, RFRIT is working on documents on the creation of the fund and is negotiating with investors about its size. In February-March 2020, RFRIT will decide on the organizational, legal and other legal issues of the fund, and then begin to conduct it through its governing bodies, in particular, the supervisory board.

2019

The start of the competition for the provision of grants to domestic software developers

On December 31, 2019, the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT) began accepting applications for competitive selection of grant recipients for the implementation of projects to develop domestic software and increase its share in the digital economy. The fund will allocate 1.4 billion rubles to finance the winners of the competition.

As stated in the RFRIT, within the framework of the competition, grants are allocated for the development and refinement of software providing for the use of promising information technologies important for the development of the country. In addition, grants from the competition are provided for the development and refinement of technological solutions for the creation of federal and regional state information resources using distributed register technology, the introduction of methods and technologies for processing and storing information.

As noted in the RFRIT, companies developing domestic software are allowed to participate in the competitive selection. The fund accepts applications for a grant from them until February 28, 2020.

"The amount of the grant for the project will be from 10 million rubles to 500 million rubles, when providing co-financing in the amount of at least 50% of the total project estimate," said Dmitry Kryukov, Director General of RFRIT.

Grants of the launched competition, as explained in the RFRIT, are one of the elements of support for the comprehensive system of financing projects of the "innovative elevator" of the national program "Digital Economy."

Provide funding for end-to-end digital projects

RFRIT will begin providing funding to regional projects based on end-to-end digital technologies as early as 2019. In general, 1.8 billion rubles will be allocated from the funds of the Digital Economy national program to the finalists of the competition held in 2019. This was stated by TAdviser in RFRIT.

On December 25, 2019, RFRIT summed up the results of the competition for grants for the introduction of domestic products, services and platform solutions using domestic "end-to-end" digital technologies. The winners of the competition were 12 Russian companies with relevant projects. We are talking about the following companies and projects:

• "Crat"; "Replication of the solution" Planning and operational management of production of JSC Concern Radioelectronic Technologies "on the basis of the production process control system" Galaxy AMM "(894.8 million rubles);

• "Kamaz"; Kamaz Operational Process Management System (RUB 224.1 million);

• "Smarts"; "Highway monitoring system based on a distributed acoustic sensor" (158.7 million rubles), "Trunk quantum network between the cities of the agglomeration of the Samara region" (82.2 million rubles);

• "Trading House" Ivanovo Furniture Factory, "manufacturer and seller of furniture products; "Development and implementation of for supporting end-to-end digital technologies in the furniture industry using AR/VR "(155 million rubles);

• "Management Company" Enterprise of Housing and Communal Services "; "Software and hardware platform for monitoring waste accumulation sites and management of waste logistics, including municipal solid waste (MSW)" (97.4 million rubles);

• UEC-Perm Motors, manufacturer of aircraft engines for civil aviation, industrial gas turbine plants for power plants and gas transportation; Implementation of the system of objective control (monitoring), maintenance and repair of production equipment in the workshops of UEC-Perm Motors as an element of smart production technologies (88.9 million rubles);

• Center for Environmental Safety, regional operator for municipal solid waste management; Implementation of a digital control and optimization system for waste disposal (68.9 million rubles);

• "SEZ PPT" Elabuge, "a special economic zone specializing in the automotive industry and the production of automotive components, instrumentation, petrochemistry, the production of composite and construction materials, mass consumption goods; "Digitalization of the water supply network by wireless communication technology LPWAN (NB-IoT)" (34.08 million rubles);

• "NTC" Bakor, "manufacturer of dense permeable ceramics, refractories and melting crucibles, ceramic filters, filtering elements and ceramic aerators; "Development and implementation of a software and hardware complex for production management with rapid reaction and tracking of the product life cycle based on end-to-end digital technologies" (30.00 million rubles);

• Samarautozhgut, a manufacturer of auto jacks for domestic and foreign cars; "Creation of an intelligent system for controlling production processes based on computer vision technologies" (15.5 million rubles);

• "SPC" Pruzhina, "a manufacturer of springs in nanotechnology; Implementation of an automated strategic and operational management system for the production of high-strength springs based on the Intelligent Platform for Building, Analyzing, Converting Digital Prototypes of BFG I Production Systems (RUR 15.00 million);

• Tatenergo, "System for monitoring the state of the operational remote control system of the heat supply system based on end-to-end wireless communication technology" (13.1 million rubles).

All technologies, the implementation of which provides for the winning projects of the competition, as stated in the RFRIT, have a high level of technology readiness.

In total, 118 applications from 40 regions were received to participate in the competition. The most active in filing applications were such regions as Tatarstan - it received 20 applications, Moscow - the capital had 14 applications, as well as the Samara and Ivanovo regions - 6 applications were sent from each subject. The applications mainly concerned the introduction of new production technologies (43), neurotechnologies and artificial systems (33), as well as robotics (11).

As noted in the RFRIT, experts from the Skolkovo Foundation, Moscow State University, HSE, as well as Expert Technologies participated in the assessment process. The projects were evaluated according to the following criteria:

• compliance of the implemented solution with the road maps of development of "end-to-end" digital technologies;
• the impact of the project on the achievement of the goals and objectives of these roadmaps;
• Russian origin of implemented solutions;
• validity of project action plan, project cost estimate;
• achievability of the results stated in the draft;
• assessment of socio-economic significance of the project for the region of its release;

The projects that became the winners of the RFRIT competition will begin to be implemented in 2020. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, together with the RFRIT, will monitor and control their implementation for four years.

We plan to implement project management and remote control approaches. Authorization of expenses, verification of reporting, conducting control measures through the personal account, planned and unscheduled on-site inspections of key stages of the project. In addition, post-monitoring will be carried out throughout the year after the project is implemented, and measures will be organized to control the achievement of the planned results of the project, "added Dmitry Kryukov, Director General of RFRIT.

Commenting on the results of the competition, the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Konstantin Noskov noted that the purpose of providing RFRIT grants is to stimulate the demand of regional companies to introduce solutions in the field of "end-to-end" digital technologies.

In 2019, 1.8 billion rubles will be allocated for this. This support measure will continue in the future. In 2020 and 2021, it is planned to allocate another 15 billion rubles for it, - said Konstantin Noskov.

Finalization of Applications

RFRIT completed the acceptance of applications for competitive selection on November 28, the fund told TAdviser. In total, 118 applications from 40 regions of Russia were received for the competition. The largest number are from the Republic of Tatarstan (20), Moscow (14) and the Samara region (6).

In the federal budget for 2019, 3.1 billion are provided for financing these projects. In the budget for 2020 - 6 billion rubles. However, as noted in the RFRIT, the amount of project financing in 2020 may change.

Start of grant competition for projects on development of end-to-end technologies

On November 8, 2019, the competition of the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) for grants was launched as part of the implementation of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation." The total amount of grants provided for by the competition in 2019 is 3.1 billion rubles. Their size can vary from 15 million to 1 billion rubles. At the same time, co-financing of the project should be at least 50% of its total estimate.

Russian companies from regions that have the status of a tax resident of the country, with the exception of state ones, can apply for a grant, the RFRIT indicated. These should be regional enterprises implementing projects based on "end-to-end" digital technologies, the development of which involves a federal project. We are talking about quantum technologies, robotics and sensory components, neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence, new production technologies, distributed registry systems, wireless communication technologies, as well as virtual and augmented reality technologies.

One of the requirements is that applicant companies should not be in the process of liquidation or reorganization, have an insolvency (bankruptcy) case initiated against them, a debt jd for the payment of taxes, fees, insurance premiums, penalties, fines and interest payable, as well as for the return to the federal budget of received support measures.

In addition, applicants should not already receive budget funds for the implementation of the announced project and should not have in the past experience of improper use of support measures received from the state.

The project with which the company wants to apply for a grant, according to RFRIT, should provide for the introduction of a domestic solution to the market, have a implementation period of 3 to 36 months and be implemented in stages. In this case, the envisaged duration of the stages is from 3 to 6 months, and they should be characterized by the achievement of measurable results. The allotted time before the start of the project is no more than 9 months from the date of the start of accepting applications for the competition.

At the same time, the fund noted that the project applying for the grant should already be at the stage of pilot implementation or revision. He also needs to have the support of the region, have high socio-economic significance and be implemented in priority sectors of the economy and social sphere (in accordance with Decree No. 204 of May 7, 2018).

As for the requirements for the project, according to the general director of the fund Dmitry Kryukov, KPI will be set for the project.

We plan to track these project targets with experts within a year after the grant is granted, "Kryukov said.

The results of the project will mainly be considered the completion of the solution implementation process, its launch into commercial operation, inclusion of the solution in the unified register of software/equipment no later than 6 months after the completion of the project.

The main criteria on the basis of which the grant will be approved will be the compliance of the solution of the end-to-end digital technology of the road map or its sub-technologies; domestic origin; significance of the declared component of the solution; The ability to develop the key technical characteristics of digital end-to-end sub-technologies and achieve the objective of the road map; technical feasibility of the project and confirmation of its attribution to priority sectors of the economy and social sphere.

The decision on the provision of grants will be made by a number of instances. Initially, this will be done by the grant committee, then - by the expert council at the RFRIT, at the final stage - by the interdepartmental competition commission. In the case of projects that need to allocate funding in the amount of 200 million rubles or more, the decision will be made by the presidium of the government commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov.

It is very important that now there is support precisely for enterprises in the regions of Russia - where the introduction of digital technologies can significantly improve the socio-economic situation. We held a number of interregional meetings and saw great interest in this type of support from enterprises from various sectors of the economy, "says Dmitry Kryukov.

According to Ivan Sakov, Deputy Director of the Department for Coordination and Implementation of Projects on the Digital Economy of the Ministry of Digital Development, the projects announced for the competition should really be important for the regions.

Not for industries, but for regions, and from different sides. In particular, in terms of creating new jobs and digitalizing important local industries. At the same time, the importance for the regions should be confirmed by the regions themselves, including their heads, "Sakov said.

Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development Yevgeny Kislyakov drew attention to the fact that the provision of support measures is a key tool for the digital transformation of Russia.

In the capital and large cities, the transition is very rapid, but the digitalization of the regions has a different pace and other priorities. It is important to take into account the specifics of the subject and develop a product for it that will be in demand among the local population. The Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies understands this task, therefore, when selecting applications, the relevance of the project for a particular region will be assessed first of all, "Yevgeny Kislyakov emphasized.

Mikhail Nasibulin, Director of the Department for Coordination and Implementation of Projects on the Digital Economy, noted that the launched competition is the first that the ministry implemented together with the RFRIT.

In 2020, work in this direction with the fund will continue and, possibly, the volume of financing for projects will be increased, - said Nasibulin.

Vice President of the Innovation and Digital Economy Block of VEB.RFMikhail Goland noted that support for the implementation of digital projects, aimed at the development of high-tech industry, the formation of "smart cities" and a comfortable urban environment, improving the efficiency of infrastructure is one of the priority areas for ВЭБ.РФ. In this regard, ВЭБ.РФ is ready to consider the provision of borrowed financing for the implementation of large projects for the digital transformation of individual enterprises and sectors of the economy, including together with RFRIT, he said.

The Ministry of Digital Development told TAdviser that grant applications can be submitted by November 29, 2019. Their submission is carried out through a personal account on the foundation's website.

In October, RVC also announced a competition to provide grants for the development of end-to-end "digital technologies. In this case, they are issued through state support for programs of activities of leading research centers.

Election of Dmitry Kryukov as head of the fund

On June 21, 2019, it became known that the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies was headed by Dmitry Kryukov. Read more here.

As of June 2019, RFRIT is being restarted for the tasks of the national program. In "Digital Economy" particular, the fund will provide subsidies Russian to organizations to support projects to implement domestic products, services and platform solutions created on the basis of "end-to-end" digital technologies. The rules for the provision of such subsidies were approved by resolution Governments of Russia of May 3, 2019 No. 550.

Updated the composition of the supervisory board of the fund

By order of the Government of Russia dated May 25, 2019 No. 1065-r, an updated composition of the supervisory board of the fund was appointed. It included:

• deputy head, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Aleksei Sokolov
• Director of FRIIKirill Varlamov,
• rector of ITMOVladimir Vasiliev,
• Deputy Chairman of the ВЭБ.РФ Alexey Ivanchenko,
• General Director of ANO "Digital Economy" Evgeny Kovnir,
• Head of the Analytical Center under the Government Vladislav Onishchenko,
• CEO RVC Alexander Povalko
• Director of the Information Technology and Communications Department of the Government Vladislav Fedulov.

By the same order, Yevgeny Kislyakov was appointed chairman of the RFRIT Supervisory Board.

2017

Proposal to withdraw commissions from state-owned companies and state authorities for foreign software

Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov proposed in May 2017 to levy all state-owned companies and budget organizations that do not use Russian software.

Payment will be mandatory exclusively for state institutions. At the same time, that foreign software that has Russian "soft clones" will fall under taxation. You can get acquainted with the IT products recommended for use in the register of domestic software.

The proposal considers an amount equal to 5% of all costs for authorized software. According to the official, the "ruble-punishing" mechanism will become an incentive to promote the products of Russian programmers. And the funds for payments acquired by "unbearable labor" will be directed to the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (FRIT).

"I bought 100 million rubles of foreign software, be kind to transfer 5 million rubles to the IT development fund," Nikolai Nikiforov explained on the example of the proposed collection mechanism.

Approved the composition of the Supervisory Board

On March 31, 2017, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the composition of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Information Technology Development Fund (RFRIT). It included eight people, and the Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Nikolai Nikiforov was appointed chairman.

In accordance with order No. 562-r, which approved the supervisory board, it will be the highest collegial governing body of the RFRIT, its term of office is five years from the date of formation.

The Supervisory Board, in particular, will be responsible for forming the directions of scientific research and experimental development supported by the fund, determining priority areas of activity, approving the fund's programs and amending them.

Composition of the Supervisory Board of RFRIT:

• Nikolai Nikiforov - Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (Chairman of the Supervisory Board);
• Bortnik Ivan - Advisor to the Director General of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Fund for Assistance to the Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Scientific and Technical Sphere";
• Vasilenko Evgenia - Executive Director of the Association of Software Developers "Domestic Software";
• Ekaterina Inozemtseva - Vice President for Strategy and Investment of the non-profit organization "Development Fund 'Center for the Development and Commercialization of New Technologies'";
• Komissarov Alexey - Director of the Federal State Autonomous Institution "Russian Fund for Technological Development";
• Alisa Melnikova - General Director of Sberbank-Technologies Joint Stock Company;
• Igor Sokolov - Director of the Federal State Institution "Federal Research Center" Informatics and Management "of the Russian Academy of Sciences";
• Peter Fradkov - General Director of Russian Export Center Joint Stock Company The ^[1].

Government decree on the creation of a fund

In January 2017, the Russian government adopted Resolution No. 57 on the establishment of the Russian IT Development Fund. The objectives of the fund include promoting Russian software in the domestic and foreign markets, as well as establishing interaction with large potential customers to clarify the requirements for the characteristics of the developed software, organizing its testing and pilot implementation.

The fund will also be able to provide grants to individuals for educational purposes, carry out management or consulting services in order to support innovation activities, organize and conduct various contests, olympiads, forums, exhibitions, conferences and expertise of scientific projects. In addition, he will be able to establish the media and carry out publishing activities, establish and award prizes and scholarships, purchase real estate, make donations to non-profit organizations of which the fund is a member or founder.

The fund will begin financing projects following the results of the appropriate selection procedure. The amount of funding will be determined during the study of real applications of companies with their obligation to co-finance such projects. The preliminary selection of priority projects for financing was carried out in the Ministry of Communications on June 2, 2015 in accordance with the sections of the industry import substitution plan.

The idea of ​ ​ creating a fund as part of the implementation of an industry import substitution plan during a meeting with members of the government on March 30, 2016 was supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The creation of the fund will be a Russian step towards the decisions of the BRICS countries to unite their efforts to create their own market for software solutions and organize international cooperation of the BRICS countries in this direction. The relevant decisions were made at the first meeting of the BRICS ICT ministers in Moscow in October 2015 and the second meeting in Bengaluru in November 2016, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications noted in connection with the release of the resolution on the creation of the fund.

2016

The government refused to allocate money to the fund

On December 8, 2016, it became known that the Information Technology Development Fund (FRIT) would not receive money in 2016 despite a 10-fold decrease in the amount offered for financing.

Press Secretary of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedeva Natalya Timakova told Vedomosti that the government did not support the allocation of money to the IT Development Fund.

According to the publication, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications proposed to replenish the fund's budget in 2016 by 500 million rubles, but money will not be allocated from the budget for the fund, since it is no longer possible to master it. There is still a government decree, registration of the fund, and projects should receive money following the results of competitions, the source of the newspaper participating in the discussion of the creation of the fund notes.

As Natalya Timakova clarified, the government supported the creation of the FRIT, but the allocation of money did not. At the same time, she did not say whether the decision not to allocate money to the fund only in 2016 or also in 2017.

The FRT configuration has changed several times. Initially, the capital of the fund was planned at the level of 10 billion rubles, but in the final plan the amount was reduced to 5 billion rubles. In October 2016, Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov said that instead of 5 billion rubles, the fund could receive 10 times less - 500 million rubles - due to the protracted decision-making and the 2016 budget deficit.

According to Vedomosti, the government will return to the issue of allocating 5 billion rubles to the FRIT in 2017.

The anti-crisis plan turned out to be more ambitious than the budget can master, says Alexandra Suslina, head of fiscal policy at the Economic Expert Group. According to her, the Ministry of Finance reduces the budget deficit, for which, in the face of falling revenues, it is obviously necessary to reduce spending. In this situation, priority is usually given to projects that have already received state money, Suslina notes.^[2]

Plans to create a fund

On March 18, 2016, it became known about the plans of the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation to create the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (IT Development Fund). The agency submitted the corresponding draft government decree for public discussion.

The main tasks of the IT Development Fund include supporting the development and promotion of Russian software abroad, as well as the creation of a competence center for import substitution in IT, the explanatory note to the project says.

It is assumed that 5 billion rubles will be allocated from the federal budget in favor of the fund, received from the auction for obtaining licenses for the provision of communication services, held in February 2016. Then mobile operators paid the state 8.3 billion rubles for 82 lots.

Also, on the basis of the created fund, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications consolidates previously disparate assets of its federal infrastructure for the development of information technologies.

According to the draft resolution, the IT Development Fund will allocate subsidies for co-financing part of the costs of development companies for 4-6 projects in the amount of 70 to 500 million rubles, subject to the total annual project budget of 100 million rubles.

Among the areas for development are mobile operating systems, database management systems, cloud infrastructure and virtualization management tools. For such projects, the Ministry of Communications proposes to allocate grants.

The IT Development Fund will also provide borrowed financing on preferential terms - 16-24 projects with a budget of at least 60 million rubles. The loan amount will be from 30 to 300 million rubles for up to 5 years at an interest rate of 5% per annum.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications will become the founder of the fund, and the Government of the Russian Federation will receive the authority to approve and amend the charter.^[3]

See also

• Register of Russian Software

Notes