About the Institute

Overview

The HSE Institute of Innovation Management (HSE IIM) was established at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in 2009. Since 2020, the Institute has been part of the HSE Graduate School of Business — one of Russia's leading business schools with ambitions to compete at the global level. As a research unit of the GSB, the Institute contributes directly to the School's strategic goal of becoming a world-class business school.

From its inception, the Institute has combined scientific work in the field of innovation management with applied research and educational activities. Today, IIM is a recognized center of expertise in technology entrepreneurship, innovation policy, and high-growth business — with an extensive track record of projects for clients from the private sector, development institutions, and government agencies.

Research Philosophy and Approach

The defining characteristic of IIM's work is its applied, field-based orientation. The Institute's team brings together in-depth knowledge of Russian and international business, specific industries, and the domestic and global innovation landscape.

While IIM researchers actively employ desk-based methods — analyzing academic publications, policy documents, and theoretical models — the cornerstone of the Institute's methodology is direct engagement with companies, entrepreneurs, and managers. Our core qualitative toolkit includes:

• Expert and in-depth interviews
• Enterprise surveys and questionnaires
• Case study development and analysis

This approach consistently proves its value: only direct, face-to-face contact with businesses and their people yields a genuinely deep and undistorted understanding of real processes, challenges, and dynamics. Both our clients and our own experts have repeatedly confirmed the effectiveness of this methodology.

Areas of Expertise

The Institute's key areas of expertise, developed over more than 15 years of applied work, include:

• High-growth technology companies — research on the population, characteristics, growth drivers, and support practices for high-growth firms, with a focus on medium-sized enterprises
• Innovation and technology business — broad analytical coverage of the innovative and technological business landscape in Russia and internationally
• Support for development institutions and government clients — analytical and organizational support for the design and implementation of business support programs and measures at the federal and regional levels
• Corporate innovation management — consulting and research on innovation strategy, R&D management, and innovation culture within large companies

Selected Projects and Work Experience

Over the past decade, the Institute has built a substantial portfolio of research studies, analytical reports, and applied projects. Key examples include:

Research on High-Growth Companies

• "Russian High-Growth Companies: Population Size, Innovativeness, Attitude to State Support" (2021)
• "High-Growth Companies: Contribution to Economic Growth and Crisis Resilience (Russian and International Experience)" (2024)
• Case collection "Russian High-Growth Technology Companies" (2022)
• APEC International Workshop on High-Growth Companies, Moscow (2018)
• Numerous peer-reviewed and specialized publications

Business Support Programs and Development Measures

• Development and ongoing analytical support for the TechUp (TechUspekh) Rating — a flagship tool for identifying and ranking innovative technology companies (since 2013)
• Company selection and toolkit development for the National Champions federal support program (since 2016), including support for the Association of National Champions
• Regional Champions project — regional-level company selection and support (2019)
• Innovation Accelerator program for SME Corporation (2021)
• National Champions Scale-Up Program for RVC–RFPI (2023)

Innovation Policy and National Innovation Systems

• "30 Years of Russia's Innovation Policy" — comprehensive research for Innopraktika (2021–2022)
• Research and analysis of successful practices of Russian development institutions, including a study of the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (2018)

Corporate Innovation

• Research on corporate innovation culture and business case development (for Innopraktika, 2021)
• Development of the Innovative Development Program of Russian Railways until 2020 (2016)
• Expert assessment of the implementation of the Russian Railways Innovative Development Program 2011–2013 (2015)
• Development of the concept for the R&D Fund of Federal Grid Company – ROSSETI (2014)
• R&D work on a roadmap for replacing obsolete technologies and introducing modern solutions for Krylov State Research Center (2014)

Digitalization and Technology Impact

• Research on the impact of digitalization and mobile technologies on the Russian economy and business (for Microsoft and Google / Russian Association for Electronic Communications, 2017–2018)

Educational Materials and Case Development

• Case collections: "Russian High-Growth Technology Companies" (2022), "Innovation: Debriefing" (2019), "Small Innovative Entrepreneurship: Cases of Russian Companies" (2013)

Our Team

Dan Medovnikov — Director of the Institute since 2012. One of Russia's leading researchers, analysts, and public experts in the field of technology and innovation business. Former deputy editor-in-chief and longtime head of the science and innovation section at Expert magazine; founder and editor-in-chief of Stimul, a digital media outlet focused on science, technology, and innovation. A sought-after speaker and moderator at major industry and policy events.

Stanislav Rozmirovich — Head of Research. An experienced supervisor of applied research projects and a rigorous analytical thinker. Author of a number of landmark publications in academic and specialized business periodicals, and an active contributor to the development of Russia's innovation ecosystem.

Professor Svetlana Lyapina, Dr.Sc. — Head of Educational Programs. A distinguished university professor and educator, experienced methodologist, and winner of the Russian Government Prize. Author of several monographs, textbooks, and numerous academic publications. Professor Lyapina is one of the pioneers of innovation research in Russia, active in the field since the late 1980s. Her profile uniquely combines academic depth with hands-on practice: she has extensive consulting experience, has founded and developed several startups, and has worked and completed internships abroad.

Research Team — The Institute's core research staff — including Tigran Oganesyan, and Alexander Stepanov — bring substantial practical experience in desk and applied research, expert interviewing, case study development, and analytical writing across a wide range of industries and topics.

Partnerships and Expert Network

The Institute maintains active and ongoing collaborations with a number of Russian and international research organizations. In addition to its core team, IIM draws on a broad distributed network of experts engaged on a project basis. This network includes researchers from other NRU HSE departments, industry specialists, practitioners from business, and representatives of government agencies — enabling the Institute to assemble the right expertise for each specific task.

Interested in research collaboration, joint projects, or commissioning a study? We welcome inquiries from academic partners, businesses, and public sector organizations.  
Contact us: imi@hse.ru