“Rosatom” and “Almaz – Antey” Support Establishment of Ural Research and Education Center

14:00, July 18, 2019

The center will enhance the competitive edge of Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions

Rosatom State Corporation expressed the willingness to support the establishment of the world-class interregional research and education center (REC) in the Ural region. In case of industry organizations being interested in particular research and development projects the corporation is willing to look into the relevant project organization materials.

The intention to form a REC was also supported by the “Almaz – Antey” Air and Space Defence Corporation” with consideration to the importance and relevancy of the creation of said center in the light of the Russian Federation’s Science and Technology development strategy implementation.

To recap, the interregional working group for the establishment of the world-class research and education center in the framework of the “Science” national project was gathered upon the initiative of Nikolai Tsukanov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Ural Federal District, in April. Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Chairman Valery Charushin was appointed head of the working group.

The working group’s operating result is the creation of a research and education center’s unifying concept. The concept included projects in the fields of robotics, sensory, waste management, and power industry, mainly presented by Sverdlovsk region; rocket engineering projects developed by Chelyabinsk region; as well as new materials for medicine (joint project of Sverdlovsk and Kurgan regions on the development of new biocompatible implants in partnership with the Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics).

In June Nikolai Tsukanov approached the state corporations which facilities are situated on the territories of the aforementioned regions with the request to support the creation of the research and education center.

‘In their activities, the center contributors will solve scientific problems, which is expected to foster the development of the federal subjects of Russia and can potentially have a considerable economic effect in 5–10 years. This is the task we are committed to, and its completion is worth making our best efforts,’ — the envoy notes.

Heads of the three Ural district regions agreed to establish the Ural interregional world-class research and education center “Advanced Industrial Technologies, New Materials and Energy” on July 9 in the margins of the International Industrial Fair “INNOPROM—2019”. The agreement was signed by the Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuyvashev, Interim Governor of Chelyabinsk region Alexei Texler and Interim Governor of Kurgan region Vadim Shumkov.

‘Agreements combine the forces of the three regions in solving one of the key tasks, which is to amplify the global competitive edge of the territories by increasing the innovative activity and developing research and production cooperation,’ governor Evgeny Kuyvashev emphasized.

It is planned that the Ural interregional world-class research and education center will be a key innovation structure object, the development core for the hi-tech industry of Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions.

Signing of the trilateral agreement between the three regions of the Ural Federal District was the key step towards filing the application to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science contest for the creation of the research and education center in 2020. The application will be filed by Sverdlovsk region with the assistance of Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions. The establishment of the REC core management bodies and project financing mechanisms is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.