Despite advanced scientific and technological (S&T) expertise, the Russian economy is presently based upon manufacturing and raw material exports. Currently, governmental incentives are attempting to leverage the existing scientific infrastructure through the concept of building a Knowledge Based Economy. However, socio-economic changes do not occur solely by decree, but by alteration of approach to the market. Here we describe the "Guided Entrepreneurship" plan, a series of steps needed for generation of an army of entrepreneurs, which initiate a chain reaction of S&T-driven growth. The situation in Russia is placed in the framework of other areas where Guided Entrepreneurship has been successful.

Date Published: 22 June 2005
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 5771, Saratov Fall Meeting 2004: Optical Technologies in Biophysics and Medicine VI, (22 June 2005); doi: 10.1117/12.634640

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5771:
Saratov Fall Meeting 2004: Optical Technologies in Biophysics and Medicine VI
Valery V. Tuchin, Editor(s)