Poly-Russia Mission 2009

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The goal of our mission is to create with business, research centers and public authorities' heads in selected regions, privileged contacts leading to formal presentations and visits of facilities. The objective is to draw a thorough and honest assessment of the visited region's economic reality. This will allow better understanding of challenges and opportunities this country is offering to Canadian businesses.

The Mission's Objectives

The initial objective consists of training and research to increase the students' knowledge on competitiveness, on innovation and on the business plans used by companies that operate in the selected sectors of the mission. To that end, the students participating in the mission will follow two preparatory courses to provide them with a proper foundation on innovation, competitiveness and industrial systems. Specific case studies related to Russian events will be carried out.

The second objective has to do with projection and transfer. The Poly-World 2009 mission will emphasize a projection of École Polytechnique in Russia. By the quality of its participants and their preparation, the mission will attest to the international scope of Polytechnique, its students and its graduates.

The mission's partners and sponsors will also benefit from first hand visibility. To complete its mission, the group will avail itself of diplomatic and commercial channels. The final presentation documents will serve as exceptional means of visibility both for the participants and the sponsors.

Finally, the mission will explore the transfer, partnership and exchange possibilities for École Polytechnique as well as for its participants and sponsors.

This year, Poly-Russia 2009 will concentrate its study on the following fields: Oil and Natural Gas; Mining and Metals; Aeronautics; Biopharmaceuticals.

St. Petersburg (Leningrad 1924-1991)
Population: 4 663 000 inhabitants

Formerly the seat of power during the time of the tsars, St. Petersburg conserved its luxurious heritage, as shown by its Baroque and Neoclassic architectural wonders. Now acknowledged as the “Venice of the North”, millions of tourists come over every year to admire its splendours and the Hermitage Museum. Considered as the Russian window on Western Europe, the port of St. Petersburg's on the Baltic Sea, supplies the region's economy.
Stemming from a vast military-industrial complex in the past, St. Petersburg's industry is now centered on electronics, aeronautics and medicine. Energy production also occupies a great part of the economy, with major companies such as LMZ (one of the world's most important turbine builders).

Moscow
Population: 10 383 000 inhabitants

Russia's capital and metropolis, as well as the most populated city of the European Continent, Moscow is currently expanding with lightening speed. With its industrial production of 25% of the entire Russian Federation GDP, local and foreign businesses are attracted to Moscow in spite of the fact that the city is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world. Concentrating, over the past years on sectors such as aeronautics, aerospace, metallurgy, energy and chemistry, the region's economy is now opening its doors to such promising sectors as pharmaceuticals and nanotechnologies. The presence of major universities around the capital also contributes to this emergence. Moreover, Moscow is one of the few Russian agglomerations that present a demographic increase since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Nizhny Novgorod (Gorki 1932-1991)
Population: 1 311 000 inhabitants

Well located along the Volga and the Oka Rivers, Nizhny Novgorod is one of Russia's most progressive and reformist commercial cities. Although located 400 km east of Moscow, the city takes advantage of a well-established stock market infrastructure to tempt foreign investment. Ever since the 19th century, St. Petersburg was considered to be the head, Moscow the heart and Nizhny Novgorod the wallet of Russia. 75% of the region's economy is based on transportation, metallurgy and fossil fuel industries, led by giant constructors such as GAZ (automobile) and MiG (aeronautics). However, the emerging sectors of pharmaceuticals and medicine are slowly contributing to its diversity.