Anchor high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies as the basis of technological sovereignty

Abstract

The focus of this paper is high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies that create the basis for the technological development of the economy. The purpose of the work is to identify key (anchor) companies that can have a significant impact on the development of the high-tech sector and serve as the basis for the country's technological sovereignty. The theoretical basis of the analysis is the adapted anchor tenant hypothesis, which came from the real estate economy. Anchor high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies order research; create new technological solutions, from which new companies subsequently arise; are involved in the training process; show a stable demand for materials, raw materials, components; and also provide their partners with the opportunity to integrate into global value chains. Analysis of high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies performance micro data (SPARK-Interfax database) showed that in 2016-2020 73% of companies belong to seven sectors (these are activities in the field of architecture and engineering design, etc., chemical and automotive industries, telecom, scientific activities, software development and mechanical engineering, etc.), which account for 64-67% of the total revenue of the Russian high-tech business. Based on an analysis of the level of concentration and stability of leadership in these key activities, 43 companies were selected to potentially be considered anchor high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies. Further, taking into account the weight of companies in their industries and comparing their dynamics with the industry, 12 leading anchor companies were identified, united in three groups - "stability", "forward movement" and "explosive growth". The position and prospects of the leading companies were considered in more detail. The analysis showed that in the Russian economy there are examples of successful high-tech and science-intensive companies that, if the emerging opportunities are realized, can act as an “anchor” of technological development.