The development is expected to provide an additional route for Russian technologists to commercialize their innovations. While Russian scientists and researchers have often displayed originality of thought and exceptional engineering skills with limited resources, sales, marketing and business acumen have been weaknesses of the Russian technology environment.

An agreement to set up a development center is to be signed later this week, during the visit of India’s science and technology minister Kapil Sibal to Moscow. India’s national industry association, the Confederation of Indian Industry, will also be involved in the functioning of the center, according to a Press Trust of India report from New Delhi here on Tuesday (Sept. 6). Exactly what the center will focus upon has not yet been disclosed.

Under other aspects of Indo-Russian cooperation India’s center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has supplied scaled down versions of its “Param Padma” supercomputer to Russia. C-DAC is also one of the main participants in the Russian-Indian Center for Advanced Computing Research set up in 2000.

Other agreements relating to science and technology are also likely to be signed during the minister’s visit. India and Russia have had long ties for joint scientific and technology projects, some of which have remained functional despite the turmoil prompted by the breakdown of the Soviet Union.