"We have passed the equator. Now we are setting a course for leadership"

16:09, January 30, 2013

UrFU Rector Viktor Koksharov presented the account of University development results in 2012

The year of 2012 summed up the results of the first stage of UrFU Development Program. As Rector Viktor Koksharov said in his traditional speech at the annual conference of UrFU staff, which took place on 28 January, this stage was completed even more than just successfully.  The Ural Federal University became the only federal university able to fulfil 100% of its commitments stated in the Development Program.  Moreover, 63%  of indicators corresponding to the modernization of the educational process, research and innovation activity exceeded 100% in 2010-2012. The average rate of overfulfilment in 2012 was 25%.  One of the aspects in which particularly significant results were achieved was research activity.

Academic research, according to Viktor Koksharov, is the most important foundation of a top-class university.  That is why experts of various international university ratings consider this indicator to be of vital importance.  It is worth reminding that the Ural Federal University has supported its claim to be one of the leading Russian universities -by entering the World Top 500 Universities, according to the QS World University Rankings, and ranked sixth among all the Russian universities.  According to Interfax academic rating of Russian universities, UrFU ranks third in Russia and first in the Ural region according to its level of innovation and commercialization development.  3.8 % experts of the Russian academic community named UrFU among the leading universities.  The  awareness of the University's brand has reached 33.5 % in the business community and among the governmental authorities of the Ural Federal District, which exceeds that of former Ural State University and Ural State Technical University.

On the first stage of the Development Program, the Rector pointed out, the main emphasis was put on the formation of a set of competitive  education programmes and providing facilities for research, innovation and modernization of educational process.  The sum of about 50 million roubles was spent on these purposes.  In general, funding through the Development programme in 2010-2012 was 3,295 million roubles, including co-funding of 295 million roubles.  The total expenditure on research activity was 753.4 million roubles in 2012.

As for the results, they can be easily followed through the performance indicators of research activity: the University has been steadily over-fulfilling its plan.  For instance, research and development work per each academician had to be 170,000 roubles, according to the 2012 Development Plan, but in fact it exceeded 230,000 roubles.  The total volume of research and development projects, consulting and engineering services increased by over 150 million roubles (it was supposed to be 600 million roubles, while in reality it turned out to be 753.4 million roubles).

"All the money invested by the University has paid off and also brought certain dividends", the Rector summed up.