May 26, 2014. Director-General of Uralvagonzavod Corporation Oleg Sienko and Governor of Saint Petersburg Georgiy Poltavchenko met to discuss the possibilities of business cooperation during Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The corporation’s press service reports a contract on cooperation between Saint Petersburg and Uralvagonzavod Corporation was signed at the end of the meeting. The contract provides for investing in the creation of a new scientific research facility that will integrate the intellectual assets of three of the corporation’s member enterprises (TsNIIM, VNIITransmash, VNITI) and will ensure the necessary quality of developments as well as the R&D buffer stock for the corporation’s future development in particular and for the Russian defense industry’s in general.

‘The implementation of the project will both give a strong boost to the development of the industry’s innovative potential and create some 2,000 new jobs. It will be decided at Saint Petersburg Government meeting on May 26, 2014 whether this project should be classed as a strategic investment one and whether its implementer SZNTK should acquire the status of a strategic investor,’ the message says.

The cooperation contract also provides for the implementation of Uralvagonzavod’s investment project on setting up a high tech lithium-ion accumulator battery production; the batteries will be meant for both special vehicles and civil-purpose customers. The other points of the contract cover: support in the development of municipal engineering, power, and transport facilities through developing Saint Petersburg’s innovative infrastructure; preparation and implementation of joint scientific research projects and educational and social programs that are targeted at the development of Saint Petersburg and Uralvagonzavod Corporation.