University 'Boils Up', Opens a New Coworking Space

14:27, October 21, 2019

‘Tochka Kipenia’ coworking spaces open simultaneously in 41 Russian universities

A new coworking space “Tochka Kipenia UrFU” (“UrFU Boiling Point”) opens in Ekaterinburg in our campus at 66, Lenina Ave. On the day of its 99th anniversary, the Ural Federal University joins forty more of such centers opened today around Russia.

“University is already an active participant in many state programs, authoring educational initiatives,” says Daniil Sandler, First Vice-Rector of the Ural Federal University for Economics and Strategic Development. “Adding to that, we admit that it is impossible for us to take part in large projects on the general management level only, because when the expert meets the expert – there’s a lot could be decided right off. And the role of ‘Tochka Kipenia UrFU’ is that representatives from business, the Academy of Sciences (RAS) and from other fields can meet here with academia and, what’s most important, our students.”

The main goals of ‘Boiling Points’ in universities are: conducting educational programs, launching a network accelerator, integrating with the university curricula, exchanging educational practices of universities with each other, as well as introducing modern digital technologies into educational activities in cooperation with participants of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) ecosystem, which include development institutions, state corporations and companies.

The ‘Boiling Points’ will bring together representatives of education, science and business, scientists, students, technology entrepreneurs, civil servants, members of public organizations and professional communities on their sites.

“Today we are looking at how the social request for additional competencies and modern educational programs is being formulated. Universities should actively give their best for this request, launching new models of education that can be obtained in different forms,” says Mikhail Kotyukov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. “’Boiling points’ can become platforms for testing such training models, for exchanging best educational practices between universities, for students to acquire new professional skills.”

The head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education emphasized that modern educational programs require more individualization, as students strive to develop the most possible advanced competencies.

“At ‘Boiling Points’, our students will be able to receive individual recommendations for further development without leaving their regions, because today ‘Boiling Points’ opened at 41 more [Russian] universities, and four of them are located in Moscow,” adds Kotyukov. “Universities, also with the help of ‘Boiling Points’, may become centers of municipal and regional agglomeration, setting new standards for the formation of the urban environment, the system of innovation, technology and leisure for our talented youth.”

In the ‘Boiling Point’ of the Ural Federal, students and teachers will have access to the ‘University 20.35’ digital platform, as well as to its diagnostic and advisory services based on artificial intelligence algorithms.

“We hope that every university that has joined the Boiling Points network today will be able to use it not only as additional space for events, but also to form a new educational path for each student, to receive recommendations on which network events are best for him they will develop what participants for his project, startup he can find for himself. In fact, this is the second profession that can be acquired at the Boiling Point, ” explains Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President of Russia on Digital and Technological Development, Member of the Supervisory Board of UrFU. “In 2020, we see our task in loading the network of spaces of collective work with quality events, increasing their interconnectedness, integrating with the curriculum of universities, and with companies of the National Technological Initiative.”

Peskov emphasizes that among the participants in Boiling Points, more than 60% do not live and work in Moscow.

“It is necessary to do the same from the technology development and startup standpoints, and we will stimulate the growth in the number of technology teams in the regions,” he added.

For Your Inquiry

Boiling points are created with the support of the ‘STI Platform’ on behalf of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI). The first ASI ‘Boiling Point’ was opened in Moscow in 2013. The coworking spaces are fit for use for scientists, businessmen, civil servants, social activists, and students. At Boiling Points, they can share experiences, work results, and coherently develop new development models.

Boiling points are currently operating in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ivanovo, Petrozavodsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Nalchik, Tomsk, Ulyanovsk, Chelyabinsk, Obninsk, Lipetsk, Irkutsk, Kaluga, Yakutsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Belgorod, Ekaterinburg, Chita, Veliky Novgorod, Tyumen, Blagoveshchensk, Grozny, Kazan, Volgograd, Ryazan and Perm. There are a total of 28 urban Boiling Points.

In 2019, a new format was launched – Boiling Points at Universities. At the beginning of the year, 13 university spaces were opened.