Moscow expects Huawei to expand presence in city by opening new labs, research centers

"I am speaking about Huawei now. We are engaged in negotiations with them, they are present in Moscow quite actively in terms of headhunting and the like. It is important for us that the company, which obviously will not move from China to Moscow, opens a set of research labs or an R&D center that would enable part of the research to be done within Moscow-based organizations," Parabuchev said.

He added that cooperation with such a large business was part of the Moscow government’s aim to facilitate the entry of local tech start-ups and their products into new Russian and foreign markets. According to Parabuchev, more than 100 IT start-ups are currently under Moscow’s patronage.

"The second topic is for Huawei to start cooperating with Moscow start-ups in Huawei’s priority areas. They have an interest in it too, and they are ready to buy start-ups in one place, use their services in other places, develop these companies in third places, all of which is significant for us as well," the CEO noted.
According to Parabuchev, all of these efforts would ultimately have a direct economic benefit for the city itself in the form of tax influx, creation of job opportunities, and enhancement of Moscow's image as a regional and international hub of innovations.

In August, Huawei's press service told Sputnik that the company was set to hire more than 1,500 people for its R&D centers in Russia over the next six years.

There are currently two centers in Russia, located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which together employ 550 people. The tech giant also seeks cooperation with Russian scientific communities, universities and research centers.