Report "An Overview Of VNIIEF-STL Experience And Projects"

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Introduction

    Creation at Sarov of the CJSC VNIIEF-STL and its success are attributed both to the availability at VNIIEF of great experience in software development, and to the joint action of powerful objective factors, such as:

• The necessity of VNIIEF personnel conversion in the early 1990s, and
  
  
• The necessity to develop optimized software for the thriving products (first of all, microprocessors) of Intel Corporation.
  
  

Of vital importance for this process were the "human factor" and special conditions of working in the closed city.

Note that neither at the early stages of cooperation nor after its creation has VNIIEF-STL received any financial support from any U.S. or Russian governmental programs or organizations. All funds have been earned only through commercial contracts. There have been no subsidies either from the Russian Federation budget or from the budget of the United States. There have been no projects implemented under such programs as the Nuclear Cities Initiative or the Initiative for Proliferation Prevention.

Along with this, it is beyond doubt that cooperation between VNIIEF and Intel meets the goals and objectives of the Nuclear Cities Initiative, which include:

• Helping establish diversified civilian production in the closed cities;
  
  
• Facilitating creation of the conditions necessary for attracting investment in the nuclear cities;
  
  
• Facilitating redirection of employees displaced from enterprises of the nuclear complex, including highly-qualified personnel;
  
  
• Facilitating development of civilian infrastructure in the closed cities;
  
  
• Assisting in developing market economy components in the closed cities.
  
  

This made it necessary to conduct this study with the purpose of identifying the reasons for such a substantial success of this particular conversion project at Sarov, especially valuable because of the involvement of highly skilled employees formerly involved in nuclear weapons development. This project was launched about 14 years ago; and it evolved from minor efforts under small-scale pilot projects to the direct employment of Sarov specialists by the Intel transnational corporation.

Cooperation with Intel at Sarov can be divided into three phases:

• Phase 1: Cooperation within the VNIIEF;
  
  
• Phase 2: Creation of a self sustained organization, CJSC VNIIEF-STL;
  
  
• Phase 3: Creation at Sarov of Intel laboratory, which accommodated almost all of VNIIEF-STL staff members.
  
  

As it usually happens in the real life, this process was affected by many factors, and all of them were important for the final success. The role of these particular factors in the process of cooperation between VNIIEF and Intel Corporation is discussed in this study. We share the opinion that although this experience is unique to a certain extent, it can be replicated provided there is consistent and tenacious determination to establish cooperation.