The document was signed by Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of the Board of the NAS Association, and Roman Meshkov, Deputy General Director of the NTI Fund.
About the partners
The National Technology Initiative Project Support Fund is a development institution created to deliver the objectives of the National Technology Initiative. The Fund provides expert, organisational and financial support for projects in high-tech industries and takes part in shaping the legal framework for new markets and technologies.
The NAS Association brings together Russia's leading manufacturers and operators of unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems and represents the industry's interests at every level of government and expert engagement.
Aims and areas of cooperation
The agreement is aimed at helping to improve regulation and to organise events for the development of unmanned aviation and the autonomous systems industry.
The key principle of the partnership is to shape consolidated positions of the professional community on the industry's key issues and to ensure productive interaction with development institutions.
Under the agreement, the parties plan to work together in the following areas:
• Regulation — joint work on draft legal acts in the field of unmanned aviation, preparing proposals and opinions, taking part in public consultation procedures;
• Support for domestic manufacturers — cooperation in delivering aviation industry development programmes aimed at making Russian manufacturers of unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems more competitive on the domestic and international markets;
• Strategic planning for the industry — helping to build a comprehensive system for planning the life cycle of unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems, from development and production through to operation;
• Expert interaction — participation of NAS Association representatives in the Fund's departmental and interdepartmental events, joint working groups, expert consultations and meetings;
• Information exchange — regular updates on planned regulatory changes, on the problems of industry companies and ways to solve them.
Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of the Board of the NAS Association:
"The NTI Fund is one of the key development institutions in the field of new technologies. The agreement opens a direct channel for us on the regulation of unmanned aviation and autonomous systems. It means that the industry community's position will be taken into account in good time as the regulatory environment takes shape, and companies will get more predictable conditions for growth."
The agreement is concluded for five years with automatic renewal.