FROM IDEAS INTO MARKETABLE PRODUCTS AND SELF-SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES; ISTC'S SUPPORT AND FUTURE TRENDS
Tero Varjoranta
Division Manager, ISTC

When ISTC, an intergovernmental organization established in 1992 by an international agreement between the European Union, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America, was established 10 years ago, the main objective was to engage WMD-experts in ISTC projects contributing directly to the nonproliferation of their expertise. At the beginning project selection and funding criteria were primarily motivated by decreasing the risk of proliferation by keeping the experts on their sites. ISTC's success was shown by the number of beneficiaries and institutes engaged in center's projects.

Since ISTC's early days, Russia has changed a lot. Russian national economy has grown strongly with surplus balances of trade and current accounts. Simultaneously, many important reforms are underway. Several challenges remain for successful long-term economical and social development. However, it is evident that the growing Russian economy has lots of job opportunities, many hidden, also for the talents and knowledge base of the WMD experts and their institutes.

In ISTC context, "sustainability" is defined as "to move scientists of weapons of mass destruction away from the dependence on ISTC funding into their own successful, self-supporting civilian careers". With the changing world, ISTC developed mechanisms to foster sustainability, such as travel support program, seminar program, workshops, valorization etc. mainly to "push" the project results into the Western and Asian markets. The most important and successful adjustment was the development and implementation of the Partner Program.

Recognizing the great number of WMD-experts and institutes, it is evident that the real key to self-sustainability sits in the capacity of Russian economy and enterprises to absorb and make better use domestic high technology. Therefore, ISTC is developing its current support concepts and creating new fresh ones for increasing this sustainability.

ISTC's support in turning ideas into marketable products and self-sustainable businesses includes the following main tools:

1. promoting ISTC's Partner Program in Western and Asian countries as well as in Russia, recruiting new Partners, maintaining and developing Partner relationships, organizing road-shows, searching for industry and other customers needs, and match-making demand and supply;
2. providing support in technology transfer and commercialization to the WMD-experts and (main) institutes
3. organizing targeted competence building in business management, technology transfer and commercialization for the WMD-experts;
4. establishing strategic partnerships with other players in the change-to-market-economy area, such as Russian Ministries with their programs, venture funds, World Bank, IFC, EBRD etc;
5. initiating new approaches to improve self-sustainability;

The detailed list of sustainability activities is impressive. In addition to Western and Asian Partners and markets, new directions forge links between Russian/CIS innovations and markets, and advance specific technologies up to their market applications.