The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia plans to abandon direct subsidies to developers and manufacturers of electronic component base (ECB), replacing them with preferential lending.
The new support mechanism will be implemented through the Industrial Development Fund (IDF), and R&D funding will be redistributed between the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), the Skolkovo Foundation, and the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations (FSI). The changes are due to the optimization of expenses and the stimulation of mass production, the ministry confirmed.
Preferential loans through the IDF will become the main way to support mass production. At the same time, the development of new technologies will be funded through grants from the RSF, Skolkovo, and FSI. The ministry emphasizes that grant funding for research will continue, but its volumes may be revised. The new rules are planned to be approved by the end of 2025.
The reform aims to increase companies' responsibility for the use of funds and accelerate the commercialization of developments. Preferential loans encourage enterprises to bring products to market faster, rather than "getting stuck" in the R&D stage.
The initiative follows the suspension of subsidies in mid-2024, when the department began checking the targeted use of previously allocated funds. According to sources, this decision is related to the appointment of Anton Alikhanov as the new head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who focuses on the efficiency of spending in the IT sector. In 2023, about 147 billion rubles were allocated for the development of microelectronics, but now the focus is shifting to credit instruments.
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