Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at the annual RUSNANOTech Forum, said Russia must cut excessive tax burden and red tape if it is to become a major player in nanotechnology. Technological modernization, and nanotechnology in particular, has been one of the themes of Medvedev’s presidency. He said Russia must create internal demand for nanotechnology if it is to succeed internationally. Russia has spent over US$10 billion investing in the development of nanotechnology in Russia, yet still produces less than one percent of all the nano-enabled devices in the world. “We must raise our share to three per cent of the world market by 2015,” said Medvedev. New, simpler immigration rules will make it easier to attract world-class scientists to Russia, he said. “We were right to focus on nanotechnology,” added Medvedev. “But there are still barriers. Our role as the government is to improve the legislation, and make sure it’s being adhered to.”