Researchers from the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK), studied patent data from 2008 to 2016 and compiled a ranking of Russian cities by number of pending invention patents. The paper discusses the technological specialization and patent portfolios of the Russian ‘technograds’ — the cities which are the key actors in contributing to the development of new technologies in the country.

Eleven cities have been identified as leaders (producing over 50% of all patented inventions in total). They are the domains that make the highest contribution in the national development of new technology:

•  Moscow
•  St. Petersburg
•  Voronezh
•  Ufa
•  Kazan
•  Novosibirsk
•  Yekaterinburg
•  Krasnodar
•  Perm
•  Samara
•  Tomsk

In terms of their biggest types of technological output, Russia’s tech cities fall in three groups:

• Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tomsk are focused mainly on high tech;
• Krasnodar and Perm are focused on less knowledge-intensive, ‘low tech’;
• Voronezh, Ufa, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Samara have mixed profiles that include both high tech and low tech.