An Industrial Design Center will be set up in Yekaterinburg, says Rector of Ural State Architectural Academy Alexander Starikov. He reports that three such centers will be introduced in Yekaterinburg, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg in 2007-2009, with the center in Yekaterinburg becoming the pilot one – it was chosen since the local school of design is believed to be one of Russia’s best. The project will be financed by the federal and regional budgets.

The centers are meant for supporting home producers in their attempts to compete globally.

‘Our entrepreneurs have finally had it brought home to them that the way your goods look is very important, so many of the region’s industrial enterprises signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Academy,’ Mr. Starikov says.