Moscow, Russia, 3 October. The World Trade Center Moscow held a round table on the “Realization of the potential of small innovative enterprises in the oil and gas sector" organized by the Innovation center “Skolkovo” as a part of preparation activities for the Second National Oil and Gas Forum. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Energy, “Skolkovo”, oil and gas companies and SMEs. The focal point of the meeting was to establish a dialogue between the major oil and oilfield service companies and small innovative enterprises (SIE) for the further cooperation in the area of integration of new technologies into the oil and gas industry.

Guests and participants of the round table were welcomed by Vadim Subbotin, Deputy Director General of the WTC Moscow. He defined the oil and gas sector as one of the most important elements that form the Russian economy. “According to the report of the State Councils working group (prepared with involvement of the World Trade Center’s experts),the oil and gas sector equipment is a top priority import item to be replaced”, - he said. “At the moment, the GDP of small and medium-sized enterprises does not exceed 26%, while in the developed economies it reaches 60-80%. And it seems that the small companies’ capacity for innovation is not just important, but crucial for our country”, - noted Vadim Subbotin. In his closing remarks, Mr. Subbotin wished the participants of the round table to be successful and productive in their work.