The residents of our region are proud of the fact that in history of Siberia words "Tomsk" and "the first" are inseparable from each other. It was in Tomsk where the first university in Asian part of Russia was established; the first power plant and the first broadcasting station were built; the first public library and the first botanic garden were opened; the first symphony orchestra in Siberia was established.
Today Tomsk region is famous in Russia owing to its two major advantages. It is the region rich in natural resources, first of all in oil, gas, iron ore. And it is the region with great intellectual potential. Tomsk is called "Siberian Athens". Tomsk, along with Moscow and Saint Petersburg, is the third academic center of Russia in the rating of higher educational institutions, in the number of students per capita.
The region takes the first place in oil and gas production among the regions of the Siberian Federal district. New results of geological exploration confirmed that there is a vast oil and gas province in the territory of Tomsk region. Specialists estimated its reserves of 1 billion tons. We call this project "Pravoberezye" as this province is located at the right bank of Ob river.
Moreover, our region is the largest iron-ore province in the world. Bakchar iron-ore deposit located in the territory of our region is one of the largest deposits in the world. Total reserves of iron ore in Tomsk region make up 57% of all-Russian reserves. The deposit development is one the region's strategic tasks of the region development.
Our region is rich in reserves of glass-making sands, with ilmenite, zircon and other rare-earth metals.
A big part of the territory of Tomsk region is covered with forests. It is possible to log up to 27 million cubic meters of wood in the region without detriment to the nature. The products of timber processing enterprises are exported to over 20 countries of the near and far abroad.
Tomsk region takes the first place in volume of ground and mineral water reserves. There is a whole number of huge underground lakes in the region. Many mineral waters of Tomsk region have unique healing properties.
Besides oil and gas production industry, there are also enterprises of chemical and petrochemical, timber and woodworking, mechanical engineering and metal working, food, building industries operating in Tomsk region. Nonrandom, our region is constantly among the leaders in the country in the growth rates of the gross national product per capita. Many manufactures are unique. 11.5% of Russian volumes of synthetic resins and plastic mixtures, including 16.5% of polyethylene, 36.3% of polypropylene, the fourth part of the total volume of methanol production. Tomsk machinery complex produces almost 20% of the Russian production of electric motor, 15.3% of light bulbs, 12% of flexible power cable, 7.5% of frictionless bearings.
Tomsk region keeps the leading positions in the group of the Russian Federation regions leading in the small business. We demonstrate the positive dynamics in increase in the number of small enterprises per 100 thousand people (over 220 small enterprises, which is the 1 place in Russia), in increase in the number of people working in the small business, in the volume of investments in the basic capital of small enterprises, in the turnover gain.
I would like to emphasize the important tendency, the determination for perspective development in the area of regional economic elite. There is the Strategy of social and economic development up to the year 2020 in the region. Such leaders of Tomsk economy as the Siberian chemical works, Tomsktransgaz, Vostokgazprom, Tomskneftekhim, Tomskenergo, many industrial enterprises and Tomsk universities have their own strategic projects. Municipalities also develop their own projects.
Economy based on knowledge is of great importance for Tomsk region. We understand that oil and gas will run out someday. That is why already today we invest the funds received from oil and gas industry in another resource, intellect. This resource tends to be reproduced and accumulated from generation to generation.
There is the environment of knowledge generation in Tomsk. Every fifth resident of Tomsk is a student. As a whole, there are 500 thousand people living in Tomsk. Three of six Tomsk universities got the status of innovative in recent years, these are Tomsk State Universities, Tomsk Polytechnic Universities, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radio Electronics.
A department of the Russian Academy of Science is working in Tomsk, namely, five research institutes are located in Tomsk Akademgorodok. Big community of health workers in our region unites science and applied medicine in Siberian department of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.
The higher education system of Tomsk, which had been being formed since the end of XIX century, combines fulfillment of educational functions and at the same time serves as the center of scientific research. That is why Tomsk universities played the key role in the process of fundamental science development in Tomsk. Advanced fundamental science became the guarantee of innovation business development if the region. Today, there are over 400 innovation enterprises in Tomsk. Tomsk enterprises operating in the field of manufacturing of the equipment for production automation and oil and gas well drilling achieved the significant success. Tomsk companies are the leaders in the Russian market in the development of high-technology control systems for oil and gas companies. Our innovation companies achieved significant results in the area of information and communications technologies. Tomsk companies work with the world leading IT companies on all continents. These results in science and business allowed us to get the right of establishing one of four special economic zones of technical-innovation type that are being established in Russia.
The special economic zone is the most ambitious project. In April, 2006, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, opened the first plot of the Tomsk technical-innovation zone. It is this plot where SIBUR-Tomskneftekhim, the first resident of the zone, started operating. This enterprise deals with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. This might help the polymers market development. The Tomsk special economic zone is planned to concentrate on three directions.
The first one is information technologies. This direction will unite the companies working in the area of software development, electronics, radio-relay systems, quantum electronics.
The second direction is new materials and nanotechnologies. This direction is being developed in Tomsk for several years. Our companies operating in this field deliver nanopowders and products of nanoceramics to other countries. There are unique products developed by Tomsk scientists, which have no analogs in the world. For instance, nanofilters which are able to purify water of any bacteria and viruses.
Biotechnologies are the third direction of Tomsk special economic zone activity. There are several leading Russian medical research institutes operating in Tomsk. Unique operations and research in orthopedics, cardiology, traumatic surgery, oncology, and microsurgery are carried out.
Special economic zone transport infrastructure creation documentation is already elaborated. Over 1 billion rubles will be spent on building roads and junctions for the technical-innovation zone in the year 2007. The project of the first building at the Southern plot is developed. This will be the Center for Innovations and Technologies at the cost of 500 million rubles. The center will include nanotechnology segments, laboratory facilities, public services, administration, conference hall, as well as offices for temporary residents in other fields. The building should be delivered in the year 2008.
The expert groups in nanotechnologies, biotechnologies and informational technologies recommended three projects for the implementation in Tomsk technical-innovation zone. These projects were presented by Micran, Elecard, EleSy companies. The companies are ready to start building their own units in the zone in the year 2008. The international activity is also aimed at the search of new residents. We search for the residents in Germany, France, China, Singapore, Israel.
I would like to give certain attention to the nanotechnologies. The Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science of SB RAS is the basic center for nanotechnologies in Tomsk. Institute of High Current Electronics also has some groundwork in this area. Tomsk Polytechnic University and Tomsk State University carry out research in use of nanotechnologies in new materials creation, and Siberian State Medical University carries out in the area of medicine.
But these research works do not have commercial constituent yet. The problem here is both in the lack of funds, and in the thinking which was formed in previous years when scientist and businessman were antipodes. Today, there are not so many products that are ready for commercial production. Nanofilters are one of such products. These filters were developed by a scientist of Tomsk Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science and completely purify water of contamination and bacteria. And realization of our creations could bring billions of rubles. I believe that it is necessary to establish the center for nanotechnologies commercialization on the basis of the Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science.
Work in the area of high technologies, undoubtedly, is the priority for our region. However, there are several big projects of Tomsk region development which we call "golden projects". The establishment of the center for nuclear medicine in Siberia is one of such projects. The center will be dealing with treatment and prophylaxis of oncological and cardiovascular diseases. Another project is called "Tomsk - the forum city". The idea of the project is to organize a forum city in the geographical center of the continent Eurasia for holding intergovernmental meetings, summits, conferences at the highest level. We already have experience in holding such events. Several large-scale scientific conferences and forums are held every year in Tomsk. In spring 2006, our city was the place of holding the Russian-German summit with participation of Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation and Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany. Tomsk is a unique historical and architectural center of Siberia. Wooden architecture of Tomsk is wide known outside Russia. Preservation of this cultural heritage is also a very important task for us.
Tomsk region is open for investors. We implement the "Open Tomsk region" program. Our region is characterized by political stability. The population is highly tolerant and mobile. High percentage of well-educated people makes our region close to European system of values. We can also offer well thought-out legislative framework to future investors. Integration into the world economic space is the strategic goal for Tomsk region today. There are no long distances and distant territories for us. We are open and ready to develop mutually profitable relations with everybody who is interested in resource and intellectual wealth of Tomsk region.
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