Russian Regions to Support Robot Manufacturing With Subsidies

Authorities in the Moscow Region plan to host the largest possible number of domestic robot manufacturers, said Ekaterina Zinovyeva, deputy chair of the regional government.

To attract investors, the region is launching a new subsidy program. Manufacturers will be reimbursed for up to 20 percent of construction costs. Companies operating in private industrial parks can receive compensation of up to 50 percent of their rent. In state-owned parks, such as Titan, a preferential rental rate applies—1 ruble per square meter (about $0.01).

Aiming for Leadership

As previously noted by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, specific projects have already been identified. In the settlement of Esipovo, a facility for producing advanced humanoid robots is planned; a prototype called Sophia was demonstrated earlier this year at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Komitas, a company known for supplying robots to logistics operators Wildberries, Ozon, and Magnit, will build a plant in the Stupino Kvadrat Special Economic Zone. Valdai Robots will expand production of industrial manipulators, welding robots, and warehouse carts at the Titan State Industrial Park. All of the robots are equipped with Russian-developed software.

The creation of such a powerful regional cluster, supported by government incentives, is expected to enable Russian enterprises to retool with innovative machines in a relatively short time.