“In my view, the hi-tech hub should not be constructed in Moscow. I suggest moving Skolkovo to Kaliningrad and providing equal benefits for all of the country’s hubs.”

Skolkovo, being set up just outside Moscow, will focus on research in five priority spheres: energy, information technology, communications, bio-medical research and nuclear technology.

“The country should have several powerful scientific centers that develop and compete with each other, with government setting the same conditions for them,” The tycoon said.

Prokhorov has set himself the task of becoming a major figure and choice for those Russians who do not want to vote for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during the elections on March 4.

He expects to gain from 15 to 20 percent of the vote in the election and to go into a runoff against Vladimir Putin.

The billionaire is one of five presidential campaign hopefuls and the only independent candidate. The four other registered candidates are current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, moderate social democratic leader Sergei Mironov, populist firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky and communist leader Gennady Zyuganov.

Prokhorov also pledged that if elected president, he will abolish the place of presidential residence in order to cut government spending, “I want to be an inexpensive president,” he said.