Nornickel’s Palladium Centre proposed initiatives for public-private partnerships in BRICS countries

Moscow hosted the BRICS Climate Agenda in Modern Conditions Forum focused on the development of public-private and inter-country partnerships within the BRICS climate agenda. More than 250 delegates took part in the forum, including members of government authorities, the corporate sector, and expert and scientific communities from BRICS countries. The event was held under the auspices of Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS.

One of the key discussion tracks was the role of business in implementing climate projects and developing effective public-private partnership instruments. The discussion participants believe that close interaction between the scientific community, business, and the state is vital to implementing large-scale cross-industry projects, as is cross-country collaboration.

“The BRICS countries have all it takes to lead the global climate agenda: the scientific capabilities and the demand for green technologies. Currently, we have the support of relevant ministries in coordinating interaction with leading scientific teams from BRICS countries to launch joint developments. In addition to Russia, we engage with scientific teams from China and the UAE and plan to further expand the geography of our collaboration. For its part, the Palladium Centre is willing to serve as a pilot platform for testing new initiatives and tools,” said Dmitry Izotov, Head of Nornickel’s Palladium Centre.

During the discussion, the Palladium Centre pointed out potential focus areas for promoting public-private collaborations within BRICS. Key initiatives proposed by the Centre include:

–       Aligning state programmes devoted to scientific research with the current technology needs of the private sector so as to increase the share of in-demand developments

–       Developing universities by setting up new specialised departments and equipping laboratories to promote competition in the scientific sphere

–       Promoting interaction between businesses and foreign universities to accelerate the development of applied sciences overall across BRICS countries.

Nornickel’s Palladium Centre is a leading innovation centre engaged in researching and developing new palladium-based materials for the green economy of the future. Its project portfolio includes new technologies for energy transition sectors such as hydrogen, solar, and biofuels. Nornickel plans to leverage the Centre’s capabilities to bring over 100 new materials to market by 2030.