How BRICS+ Turns Sci-Tech Initiatives into Real Markets and Standards — and What It Means for Business?

The main driver of the week is the synchronization of the technological agenda across several international platforms in Russia. The International Conference on Creative Economy is launching in St. Petersburg with the participation of 1,500 representatives from 32 countries in BRICS, CIS, SCO, and MENA. Concurrently, the "Creative Capital" exhibition opens there, showcasing 40 Russian brands, from software to traditional crafts, as reported by the ASI.

Simultaneously, in Krasnoyarsk, at a forum on financial security, representatives from 40 countries adopted a declaration on countering the abuse of new technologies. During a strategic session of the "Bioprom" forum, the federal center affirmed its commitment to a national project for biotechnology and technological sovereignty, while emphasizing openness to cooperation within BRICS and G20, as described by the organizers of the Krasnoyarsk forum and underscored by Denis Manturov.

What events became "assembly points" for the BRICS+ technological agenda this week?

The key "nodes" were the creative economy (markets and brands), financial security (rules and protection), and biotech (sovereign competencies and industrialization). Together, they shape demand, standards, and cooperation chains.

In St. Petersburg, the "Creative Capital" conference and exposition serve as a showcase for export readiness: IT developments, music and photo/video equipment, furniture and decor, and traditional crafts – with a focus on combining "value—technology—brands," as stated by the ASI.

In Krasnoyarsk, international participants discussed the rise of threats – deepfakes, online fraud, hacker attacks, crypto-scams – and adopted a declaration on the implementation of the UN Convention against Cybercrime (Resolution 79/243) and FATF Recommendation 15 on new technologies, as indicated in the final document.

What are regulators and the industry saying – where are investments and standards heading?

The technological infrastructure of "smart cities" in Russia is transitioning to domestic solutions and standards with a view to scaling up in Russia and BRICS countries. Moscow's video surveillance system – over 270,000 cameras, covering about 80% of city sectors – is fully localized; national compatibility standards are being developed, and an analog of the NIST competition for video analytics and biometrics is underway, as reported by Dmitry Golovin, deputy head of the Moscow Department of Information Technology.

Businesses emphasize: without industry standards, platform-based approaches, and a "unified data bus," the effectiveness of urban solutions is limited, with the integration of disparate video streams and inter-agency data exchange being the main "bottlenecks," as explained a representative from Rostelecom.

This logic is complemented by the concept of "trusted data" as fuel for AI, formulated at the same session.

"It is trusted data – that is the key concept that inspires artificial intelligence to work flawlessly... They are structured and interconnected with extreme clarity. Thus, it will be much easier for future artificial intelligence to work," noted a representative of the developers.

In biotechnology, the federal center is consolidating competencies into a specialized national project with a focus on biopharmaceuticals, biomedicine, industrial, agricultural, and food technologies, and cooperation within BRICS/G20, as highlighted by Denis Manturov.

In energy, the export perimeter is expanding in parallel: Rosatom is ready to offer the Philippines small modular reactors (SMRs) and floating power units, and in the global nuclear fuel market, Russia earned approximately $800 million in 2024 from enriched uranium supplies to the US, as noted in industry reports.

What are the systemic consequences — is a parallel infrastructure of institutions and rules being formed?

Yes. On the level of international procedures, Moscow is considering an alternative to the OSCE's ODIHR through BRICS and SCO mechanisms for external election observation, reflecting a shift towards its own institutional frameworks, as stated in the Federation Council.

Concurrently, the "Krasnoyarsk" declaration calls for the implementation of global norms (UN Convention against Cybercrime, FATF Recommendation 15) and references the Kazan and Brasilia BRICS declarations – a systemic signal of convergence between regional initiatives and international law, as recorded by participants.

In high technologies, the space agenda demonstrates diverging trajectories: the US is strengthening "Artemis" (lunar flyby – 2026, landing – 2027; goal – a 100 kW lunar reactor by 2030), while Russia's lunar program has been reduced to automated missions after the failure of "Luna-25" and the freezing of the super-heavy lift rocket, increasing the value of partnerships (including China's ILRS), as analyzed by NG-Nauka.

For businesses, this means that rules (observation, compliance, cybersecurity), standards (smart cities, biotech), and export windows (nuclear energy, creative industries) are being integrated into a new, more "eastern" cooperation architecture.

What tactical opportunities and risks are emerging for BRICS+ companies right now?

The main "entry points" are where markets, standards, and partnership platforms appear simultaneously.

• Creative industries and brand export. The St. Petersburg conference gathered 1,500 participants from 32 countries; the "Creative Capital" exhibition showcases scalable product lines (software, audio and photo/video equipment, furniture and decor, traditional crafts), as reported by the organizers.

• Smart and secure cities. Scaling of domestic video systems and video analytics, unification of interfaces, and the creation of national compatibility standards create an opportunity for platform vendors, integration, and cross-agency data exchange, as confirmed by industry participants.

• Financial security and anti-fraud. Demand for solutions against deepfakes, phishing, crypto-scams, and social engineering will grow in conjunction with the implementation of the UN Convention against Cybercrime and FATF Recommendation 15, as indicated by the adopted declaration.

• Practical guideline: Solutions that simultaneously improve data quality (KYC/AML), ensure interoperability, and verify content will gain advantages in pilots and government contracts.

• Biotechnology and production localization. The announcement of a national project, identified strengths (biopharma, biomedicine, industrial, agricultural, and food biotech), and a focus on import substitution create demand for equipment, raw materials, and joint R&D in conjunction with BRICS/G20, as stated at "Bioprom."

• Nuclear energy and SMRs. Rosatom's proposals for small modular reactors and floating power units for the Philippines, and confirmed revenue in the enriched uranium market, signal steady international demand and the need for supply chains, as noted in industry reports.

• International institutions and election observation. The discussion of alternatives to ODIHR within BRICS/SCO frameworks opens niches for consulting, training, and technological solutions in electoral analytics and transparency, as explained in the Federation Council.

The risk for all these directions is one: fragmentation of standards. Those who prepare "bridges" – compatible data formats, verified sources (trusted data), a "unified bus" for integration, and content verification services recognized equally across multiple BRICS+ jurisdictions – will win.