Illarionov

1.Information Technology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Russia#Information_Technology

The IT market is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Russian economy. Russian software exports have risen from just $120 million in 2000 to $1.5 billion in 2006. Since the year 2000 the IT market has demonstrated growth rates of 30-40 percent a year, growing by 54% in 2006 alone.

The biggest sector in terms of revenue is system and network integration, which accounts for 28.3% of the total market revenues . Meanwhile the fastest growing segment of the IT market is offshore programming.

The industry of software development outsourcing crossed the mark of $1 billion of total revenues in 2005 and reached $1.8 billion in 2006 . Market analysts predict this indicator to increase tenfold by 2010. Currently Russia controls 3 percent of the offshore software development market and is the third leading country (after India and China) among software exporters.

Such growth of software outsourcing in Russia is caused by a number of factors. One of them is the

-supporting role of the Russian Government. The Government has launched a program promoting construction of IT-oriented technology parks (Technoparks) - special zones that have an established infrastructure and enjoy a favorable tax and customs regime, in seven different places around the country: Moscow, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Tumen, Republic of Tatarstan and St. Peterburg Regions.

-Another factor stimulating the IT sector growth in Russia is the presence of global technology corporations such as Intel, Motorola, Sun Microsystems, Boeing, Nortel and others, which have intensified their software development activities and opened their R&D centers in Russia.

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2. Russia has more academic graduates than any other country in Europe