With students going back to school this week, President Medvedev chaired a timely joint State Council and Presidential Modernisation Commission meeting focused on education.  The discussions went on for two hours, during which Medvedev said that modernisation is impossible without the further development of Russia’s vocational training system.

The Russian government recently published a strategy for Siberia’s economic development through 2020. The plan, drafted by a working group of scientists, regional government officials, and key business leaders, strives to make Siberia more than just a source of natural resources by diversifying its economy and encouraging the development of its high-tech, science, and tourism industries.

Efforts to make Siberia an Ideal Business Location

In an effort to reach out to the next generation of high-tech innovators in Russia, Microsoft Research, in cooperation with St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University and the Academic Physics and Technology University, hosted the Microsoft Data Structures and Algorithms School (MIDAS) in St. Petersburg this August. 

Amid a growing discussion on the challenges faced by foreign investors in dealing with Russian customs regulations, the government has taken steps to help ease requirements for those entering the country. 

Earlier this month, Google Russia released a test version of its traffic monitoring service in Russia. Allowing users to monitor traffic, the service determines conditions through a variety of outlets, including user-submitted data, and is now available in two of Russia’s largest cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Below you can see a Google traffic display for Moscow: