Remarks by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham

In my remarks a few moments ago I spoke of the tremendous importance of joint ventures between U.S. companies and the best scientific minds from the former Soviet Union’s weapons complex.

So it gives me great pleasure this morning to recognize another such groundbreaking joint venture.

Numotech, Inc. – a company based in Northridge, California, that specializes in medical devices and wound care treatment – is entering into an historic agreement with the Russian industrial engineering and design firm Spektr Conversion to manufacture highly specialized medical devices.

We have here one of the initial venture products– a wheelchair equipped with “active” seat and back cushions. These breakthrough cushion devices are designed to alleviate sustained pressure on any one part of the body, a painful and costly problem for wheelchair users. 

This joint venture is an unprecedented achievement. When fully realized, it will create over 400 permanent local jobs for scientists from the Soviet Union’s weapons complex.

This is, of course, very good news. What is particularly exciting is that, when finalized, it will be the first successful foreign venture in a Russian closed nuclear city – the closed city of Snezhinsk in the Ural Mountains. During the Cold War, C-70, as the city was then known, was vital to the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons program.

During the coming years, we believe Snezhinsk will be a leader in the production and development of peaceful cutting-edge technologies with widespread commercial application and serve as an example for other scientists who seek an alternative to weapons work.

This first foreign joint venture in any of the closed nuclear cities of Russia will represent yet another milestone in the Department of Energy’s Russian Transition Initiatives program. To date this program has engaged nearly 15,000 weapons workers. Its successes have been critical to safeguarding vulnerable Russian nuclear expertise, facilities, and know-how.

I want to commend a number of individuals, particularly my Minatom counterpart, Minister Alexander Rumyantsev; Terri Olascoaga, from Sandia National Laboratories; Michael Lempres, Vice President of Insurance of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Vic Alessi of the United States Industry Coalition; Jarius DeWalt, of the M.R. Beal and Company Investment Banking firm; and, not least, Spektr-Conversion Director Anatoly Ivanov and   Numotech President Dr. Robert Felton.

Their cooperation and dedication in the face of numerous obstacles has resulted in today’s historic agreement. This significant partnership gives us a blueprint for future collaboration between US companies and the talented scientists in the former Soviet Union

I wish everyone success in this groundbreaking endeavor. 

I am going to ask the Minister to say a few words, and after that we would like Dr. Felton, Ms. Olascoaga, and Director Ivanov to join us at the podium for a presentation.