Russia Forum: Driving the Future takes place at Expo 2020 in Dubai

The Russia Forum: Driving the Future was held on 3–4 December 2021 as part of the National Day of the Russian Federation at the Expo 2020 World Expo. The event was organized with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Roscongress Foundation.

The business programme covered a wide range of issues related to Russian-Arab economic and investment cooperation, and included presentations on outstanding Russian investment projects and Russian Industries Overseas Egypt.

«The Expo 2020 venue brings together representatives of international companies with an interest in developing mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between our countries. Business events are an important tool for building this kind of interaction. We look forward to active engagement in future, which will help to strengthen cooperation between the business communities of Russia and Arab nations. I am confident that these kinds of support mechanisms can contribute to highly effective dialogue,» said Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.

The business programme opened with a session on ‘The Creative Economy: From Startups to New Industries’. Participants at the session discussed the qualities needed by creators in order to turn creative ideas into economically successful projects, the new opportunities afforded to investors by the creative industry, and the ways in which the creative economy can bring people and nations together and serve the aims of sustainable development. They also discussed the creation of a universal information hub for export, import and investment projects. The expert discussion was attended by Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District — Yugra Natalya Komarova, BY-WORLD Global Creative Director Vyacheslav Avetisyan, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation and Director of the Innosocium Foundation Elena Marinina and General Director of Made in Russia Mikhail Sadchenkov among others.

Russia boasts colossal human, creative and resource potential, making it a viable candidate for leadership in the economy of the future, which could be based on international partnership and cooperation. Experts discussed what the future global and Russian economies will look like at the ‘Russia Forum: Driving the Future’ plenary session, which was attended by Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates His Excellency Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, President and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Herman Gref, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Alexey Likhachev, Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, and CEO of Ozon Alexander Shulgin.

The RC-Investments Foundation, the investment platform of the Roscongress Foundation, presented its Investinregions.ru digital service at the Forum. The project is being implemented jointly with the Roscongress Foundation and with support from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. The platform is a unique digital space bringing together investors and project creators from across Russia. The presentation highlighted the key functions of the digital platform, benefits for investors, and Roscongress Foundation services supporting foreign investment throughout Russia. Another driver of discussions was the development of modern medical science and high-tech solutions in healthcare, which was on the agenda at the session on ‘The Future of Medicine: The Human Brain and the Digital Mind at the Heart of Scientific Discoveries’. Participants in the expert discussion included Head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of the Russian Federation Veronika Skvortsova, CEO of Rostec Sergey Chemezov and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Olga Golodets. Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, VEB.RF, and large and medium-sized businesses participated in the presentation on Russian Industries Overseas Egypt. Experts discussed the opportunities for Russian companies to enter Middle Eastern and African markets with the help of RIO.

Sessions on ‘Exporting Russian Technologies: Russian Tech Companies in the Global Technology Landscape’, ‘Energy in the New Era: Global Trends, Challenges and Opportunities’, ‘Cities 2030: Progress for Humanity’ and more were also held as part of the Russia Forum: Driving the Future business programme.

The motif of this year’s Russia Pavilion is ‘the creative mind: driving the future’, because the share of the creative sector in the economies of major Russian cities is comparable to that of European megacities. The Russia Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai highlights the scientific and cultural achievements of past eras and demonstrates how the creative mind can change the future for the benefit of humanity by presenting the latest achievements in Russian creativity to exhibition visitors.