The Russian premier has visited Silicon Valley in California in order to learn more about how the area has developed into a global technology hub.

Dmitry Medvedev met with leaders in the field from Apple, Cisco, Google and Twitter in order to gather inspiration for the "innograd", a similar cluster he is planning near Moscow, the Guardian reports.

"I would like to have my visit be translated into full-fledged relations and into co-operation with those companies," he told reporters during the trip.

The president has set aside $500 million worth of investment to establish a centre of technological innovation at Skolkovo.

He also held talks with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during his trip, before leaving for Washington to meet with his US counterpart Barack Obama.

Individuals seeking IT jobs in Russia may also be interested to note that the country is home to around 142 million people and has a large urban population.

Posted by Kate Griffin