Intel, China and meeting with Sam Park

As we promised, we are publishing an interview with Kamil Isaev, R&D CEO, Intel Russia, who heads Innovation Design Lab together with Dmitry Repin.

The first part of the interview will describe details of Kamil’s trip to China and his meeting with Sam Park, SKOLKOVO representative in China.
The second part (coming later this week) of the interview will be devoted to a concept of Innovation Design Lab and Intel’s interest in a joint project together with SKOLKOVO.

Have a nice reading!

— In July you went to China to visit a local Intel office. Please can you give us details of your trip?

— The trip was officially related to a start of a leadership programme in China. It’s a programme launched by Intel to develop managers, train and cultivate them as leaders. Intel is a global company, and big engineering teams are often strongly distributed. That’s why Intel pays much attention to the development of leader managers in remote countries, such as Russia and China. We were in Shanghai, where an Intel office consists over a thousand employees. It’s interesting to observe Chinese people working when you know the way Russian people work and compare corresponding peculiarities based on cultural background and specific upbringing and education of people. That was quite an interesting experience.

— Please can you expand on differences?

— There are several things that drew my attention. Within the bounds of this leadership programme people are divided into teams, receive business cases that they should discuss, suggest their solutions and after all make a final presentation for a relatively short period of time. Chinese employees usually have livelier discussions than Russian ones. In fact, it didn’t surprise me. I refer it to a peculiarity of Russian mentality. In general, we are not much of a talkative nation, we customarily think several times before saying something. Not only Chinese people but an overwhelming majority of other nations act differently – their discussions are more volcanic, extrovert. At the same time a quality of final presentations is rather comparable, i.e. I didn’t notice any striking differences between Russian and Chinese colleagues in depth, understanding, etc.

The next thing that draws your attention there is that in China a role of the Chinese government is extremely great actually in all events that take part in the country. In particular, internet is known to be in heavy control. Therefore some of e-commerce projects being launched by Intel (particularly software sales via internet) require special licenses which are difficult to obtain. One should present obvious and quite serious grounds, convince the Chinese government that all is done in compliance with applicable regulations.

The barque is to depart in just 13 days!

Suspense keeps on growing. Packing is in full swing! Make sure to take a cap or a wholly hat as the Captain of the barque advised. Be prepared for a strict order of day, a menu with no dainties, for unusual conditions of living in ten- and twenty- man bunkrooms! Also for the fact that cell phones will be on line only in shore! There will be no time for usual cell phone chats and business correspondence in Blackberry though: SKOLKOVO students are to learn laws and rules of navigation, operation of hull systems, details of spreading and dousing sails and many other things.

Who will be a chief of the bunkroom, and how will the students act under extreme conditions of living under sails? You can find the answers in our news!

Innovation Design Lab news: Tech Lecture Series

In early October 2010 SKOLKOVO FT-MBA students will start working fulltime on their start-up projects. Many of the students want to launch technology start-ups. To support this, "SKOLKOVO Technology Circle" was created as part of the Innovation Design Lab. This is an informal group of technology companies, research groups and individuals who understand the challenges of high-tech businesses and bring their technology expertise, specific technologies into SKOLKOVO start-ups.

Intel Corporation has become the first member of SKOLKOVO Technology Circle. At the first event of the Tech Lecture Series – lectures organized specifically for students, Nikolay Suyetin, Intel top specialist, has told students about the principles of semiconductor industry operation and described its development trends. Recently, students have met with Martyn Nunuparov, a "serial" inventor of high-efficiency piezo-convertors and other electronic technologies, who invited students to be partners in implementation of start-ups based on his technologies.

The lecture was told about in more detail by Dmitry Yurchenko, Full-Time MBA student:

“The first guest-speaker was Nikolay Suyetin, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, new Russia and CIS programmes development manager. He told us about his many-years’ experience in innovation and Russian specificity. This specificity takes place and unfortunately has negative character. For instance, there was the idea to import and locate health remote tracking systems that are of high importance, for example, for diabetics and senior people, being also helpful for healthy people to control their health. The idea came to its end at the stage of obtaining a licence in the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development of Russia, because of corruption – they wanted money, and Intel does not play this game.

ARCHpromenad in SKOLKOVO – more than 70 architects have come despite such heat!

August 3, SKOLKOVO Campus opened its doors for the Moscow Architectural Club (MAC), a platform for professional communication well-known among architects. About once a month the MAC inspects new architectural objects and this time it was decided to see over SKOLKOVO Campus.

The fervor heat up all around but despite that over 70 architects gained destination and acquainted with our new home enthusiastically.

The ARCHpromenad, a tour about the Campus was guided by Emil Pirumov (on foto), Managing Director of SKOLKOVO Business School and “master of the house” and Andrey Tcheltsov (“A-B Studio” architect bureau). After the promenade Andrey Tcheltsov also made a small presentation, spoke about how the project SKOLKOVO transformed over time, how the work between the “A-B Studio” and Adjaye/Associates was going, and he replied to questions from the architects as well.

Andrey Tcheltsov’s speech opened the main programme of MAC, with the principal topic called “Us to the world” – meaning the understanding of own and foreign experience. What architects can take from the world and what are they able to give it? Who to build with and what to build here and now?

Discussing the multicultural educational environment of SKOLKOVO and the project of the building by David Adjaye called up by the dynamic suprematic works of Russian artists, many architects confessed that campus was a “phenomenon of another world” and gave a great feeling of freedom. They remarked that the interior was freed up from redundant details, and emphasized the modesty of architectural solutions, which allowed to achieve clearness and omnitude in space and to integrate the Campus into the splendid natural landscape.

Trip on the «Kruzenshtern» barque – students’ opinion

The trip aboard “Kruzenstern” is approaching rapidly – it is to be held in 23 days! We decided to get to know students’ expectations of this trip.
Vartan Dilanyan, EMBA first intake student
"Once my friends and me were yachting in the islands of the Adriatic sea – this was a truly impressive trip. It freshens up very well and helps to blow the cobwebs away so it is really worth it. This is the reason why I am so glad that the school gave us such an opportunity. Moreover, the trip on the “Krusenstern” is much more interesting in this aspect: after all the months of studying in SKOLKOVO we are starting it as a true team, the team of close friends. Considering it from the standpoint of teambuilding outside school and learning process, this trip is a wonderful idea. Besides, it is fascinating to look at the different world and learn to manage something new".

Evgeny Larionov, EMBA third intake student
"I have not had any doubts to start this trip – this is a true adventure, new experience and, of course, extreme, and I am the one who loves extreme events. And, beyond any question, the people were the motivator to go. To my mind this is a wonderful idea to invite the first course, students who are about to graduate and us, the third course of the new guys. We will spend several days on board the bark and this is very effective for the team building.
The mood is perfect, we are ready for the adventures and unforeseen situations!"

Olga Pestova, EMBA third intake student
"Speaking about the motivators to go, I would say that is was an entire motivation cocktail! It is an Adventure. It is the participants – the team of yet unknown but like-minded adventurers. It is the “Krusenstern” – wealth of history and open sea. And it is SKOLKOVO – the beginning of a new trip! I am overwhelmed with the feeling of joyful anticipation! I am sure that the reality will surpass any of the expectations. The principal intrigue is what will be recalled after the trip and what tales will appear!"

One day in Moscow that will change your life OR how it was!

It was an Admission Day for an MBA programme at the SKOLKOVO Campus on July 29.

All day long, from morning till evening 11 potential students from Russia, Belarus and Germany took tests and were interviewed by representatives and founding partners of SKOLKOVO, took part in group discussions, communicated and, of course, looked around SKOLKOVO Campus.

In the evening the applicants shared their impressions with us. Watch the video - their emotions are obvious!

We wish the participants of the admission would become students of MBA programme of SKOLKOVO soon! We will have an eye on changes in their life that will result from it!

Kane Cuenant on Top MBA

Kane Cuenant (Canada), Full-Time MBA SKOLKOVO student, told TopMBA.com about his choice of the Business School and his impressions of education.

“Skolkovo encompassed all the good qualities of the other schools, plus a few other factors not typically seen... That is, the ability to spend most of the time working with real projects in emerging markets, personal mentoring by successful people, and a very personalized MBA development path.”

“In Canada, a great number of businessmen and other types of managers have, or plan on eventually having an MBA.... Some of the best things about business school life are the opportunities, the ability to work with emerging markets, practical experience, and the network.”

Please read a full article here