Concept of Technological Development for the Period up to 2030 (Government Order No. 1315-r of 20.05.2023)

Executive Summary

The Concept of Technological Development for the Period up to 2030, approved by Government Order No. 1315-r on May 20, 2023, is a strategic document that defines the challenges, principles, and goals of Russia's technological development under conditions of unprecedented sanctions pressure and global technological transformation. The document was prepared following strategic sessions held by the Russian Government in June-August 2022 and presidential directives issued after the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects meeting.

The Concept marks Russia's transition to a third stage of technological development, with the key priority being the achievement of technological sovereignty -- the presence within the country, under national control, of critical and cross-cutting technologies based on proprietary development lines. The document acknowledges that the previous model of "importing technologies in exchange for raw materials" has been exhausted, and that the 2022 sanctions created a direct threat of technological degradation of production systems.

The document establishes three key goals: ensuring national control over critical and cross-cutting technologies, transitioning to innovation-driven economic growth, and providing technological support for the sustainable functioning of production systems. Specific targets include reducing the coefficient of technological dependence by 2.5 times, increasing domestic R&D expenditure by at least 45%, and raising the share of domestically produced high-tech products to 75% of domestic consumption.

Key Provisions

Technological sovereignty as the priority: The Concept formalizes for the first time at the government level the notion of "technological sovereignty" and establishes its achievement as the primary goal of technology policy. Sovereignty is ensured through proprietary development lines for critical and cross-cutting technologies.
Distinction between critical and cross-cutting technologies: Critical technologies are sector-specific technologies essential for producing strategically important products (microelectronics, machine tools, bioengineering). Cross-cutting technologies are forward-looking inter-sectoral technologies that define the future shape of the economy (artificial intelligence, quantum computing, new materials).
Diagnosis of four threats: Insufficient adaptation to global trends; lagging innovation-driven growth (business innovation activity at 11.9% vs. 40-79% in developed countries); brain drain of talented and qualified personnel; disruption of production chains due to sanctions (75% of equipment investment was imported).
New entities for technological development: Technology holdings integrating educational, research, and production capabilities; research consortia; small technology companies; professional technology intermediaries (brokers).
Leader-company institution: A system of agreements between the Russian Government and major companies on the development of cross-cutting technologies. The first 12 agreements were concluded in 2022.
"Right to risk" principle: Acceptance of the possibility that planned results of innovative projects may not be achieved, without sanctions against developers. This is intended to lower barriers to innovation.

Goals and Timelines

Goal 1 -- Technological Sovereignty (by 2030):

Reduce the coefficient of technological dependence by 2.5 times
Increase domestic R&D expenditure by at least 45%
Achieve targeted levels of technological sovereignty across product categories

Goal 2 -- Innovation-driven Economic Growth (by 2030):

Increase organizational innovation activity by 2.3 times
Grow innovation expenditure by 1.5 times
Grow the volume of innovative goods and services by 1.9 times
Increase patent applications by 2.4 times
Increase the number of large technology companies by 5 times
Triple private investment in small technology companies

Goal 3 -- Production System Sustainability (by 2030):

Grow non-commodity, non-energy exports by 1.5 times
Achieve 75% domestic share of high-tech product consumption
Increase the share of manufacturing enterprises implementing technological innovations by 1.6 times

Implementation Mechanisms

"Pull-effect" instruments: Industrial mega-projects based on public-private partnerships; programs for implementing best available technologies; agreements with leader companies; large-scale research projects aligned with technological sovereignty priorities.

Science-production integration: Creation of technology holdings; modernization of full innovation cycle programs; deployment of industrial competence centers; establishment of chief designer and chief technologist institutions; restructuring of innovation development programs within state corporations.

Workforce system: Updating educational programs to meet the needs of critical and cross-cutting technologies; developing advanced engineering schools; creating STEM training centers; scholarship support for students; technology internship programs at leader companies.

Lighthouse projects: Creating new markets through unmanned cargo transportation (aviation, road, waterborne), data-driven medicine, and electric vehicle development.

Regulatory reforms: Implementation of the "right to risk" principle; creation of intellectual property-backed lending; introduction of a "patent box" regime; removal of barriers to technology transfer between defense and civilian sectors.

Industry Impact

The Concept became a turning point for Russian technology policy, marking the abandonment of the model of integration into global value chains in favor of developing proprietary technology lines. For the electronics industry and the IT sector broadly, the document holds fundamental importance, as microelectronics is explicitly named among the priority product categories requiring technological sovereignty.

The Concept created a legal framework for a major increase in government R&D funding in priority areas, as well as for establishing new organizational forms -- technology holdings and research consortia capable of executing large-scale projects. The introduction of the "right to risk" principle is designed to remove one of the key barriers to innovation in the public sector -- the fear of liability for unsuccessful projects.

However, the scale of the tasks, particularly achieving technological parity with world leaders in microelectronics, requires enormous investment and years of sustained effort. The document acknowledges that Russia trails leading countries by orders of magnitude in patent activity and venture investment volumes, making the achievement of some 2030 targets exceptionally ambitious.

Amendment History

May 20, 2023 -- Concept approved by Government Order No. 1315-r.
October 21, 2024 (Order No. 2963-r) -- Amendments and additions refining certain provisions of the Concept based on initial implementation results and changes in the external environment.

Concept of Technological Development until 2030