At the Open Innovations forum the Skoltech university has announced its partnership deals with the JSC “Uralvagonzavod”, “Oboronprom” and Intel, while Edward Crowley, the Skoltech president, reported on success of the first educational program
The Skoltech university president Edward Crowleyat a briefing to media, held at the forum, “today we embark on the next step of development of our university, the Skoltech, and this next step is our close relationship with the industry.”
Both corporations are state-owned, moreover: each of them is directly linked to defense industry. The Uralvagonzavod company builds, as they say it in machinery, tanks. It is also biggest Russian cargo wagons, containers and tank cars manufacturer. And the Oboronprom forms part of the “RosTechnologies” corporation. Its core business lies in helicopters (owns JSC “Russian Helicopters”) and engines manufacturing (“The united engines building company” management company).
Not surprisingly that right after the signing ceremony Crowley was asked a reasonable question by one of correspondents: if Russian defense industry enterprises expect a breakthrough in dual-use technologies. And, as the first deputy director of the Uralvagonzavod Vladimir Shmakov said at the briefing, said that their prime interest lies in composite materials.
“We create a new R&D center (at Skoltech), where science, research and education will go hand by hand with research in composite and other new materials,” Vladimir Shmakov, Uralvagonzavod first deputy director
“We create a new R&D center (at Skoltech), where science, research and education will go hand by hand with research in composite and other new materials,”
Vladimir Shmakov, Uralvagonzavod first deputy director
At the same time Dmitry Lelikov, Oboronprom’s general director, said that his company relies on new scientific personnel (from Skoltech):
«The human potential is the most important factor today», – he said. New helicopters and engines are to be made by talented young people, and our cooperation with Skoltech is a chance to get on one platform with leading world resear4ch and educational centers.”
Edward Crowley, answering an Sk.ru correspondent question, also said that those first students, who went to study to the MIT and couple of other universities, has turned into local student stars there.
«I gave a call to my fellow professors at Boston and they told me that those 12 students, who are studying there now are doing just great, they are one of the best students there and study just as well as others. I can say the same about those 3 students, who went to Zurich and Hong Kong.
Speaking about some current achievements of the Skoltech, Crowley said that just a year ago his university didn’t even have an academic program yet, but now it has been already decided to make three R&D centers there at the following areas: electro-chemical devices to store energy,stem cells, researches in the area of infection deceases.
The Skoltech has significantly moved ahead in its curriculum, educational program, an international team of professors is being successfully formed, while administrative stuff is also being hired. And its already known that there will be two educational programs formed next year: in IT and energy sciences.