The extended meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Cluster «North-East» was held in the university

18.03.2022 On March 17 the extended meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Regional Scientific and Educational Cluster «North-East» on the topic «Staffing for high-tech industries» was held at the Leonov University of Technology. 

The cluster «North-East» was established on the basis of the University of Technology on the initiative of the Governor of the Moscow Region Andrey Vorobyov in 2015 in order to meet the needs of high-tech enterprises with the qualified engineering and working personnel. It includes the leading enterprises of rocket and space industry, large IT companies and banking organizations, the Administration of city Korolev. And every year the cluster members gather at the University of Technology to discuss pressing issues and search for new vectors of cooperation between education, science and production. 

The membership of the cluster «North-East» is constantly growing.This time more than 50 people took part in the meeting – these are representatives of the state corporations «Roscosmos» and «Rosatom», the heads of leading enterprises of the country's military-industrial complex, the rectors of large Russian technical universities, the representatives of the Moscow region science cities, the astronauts. 

The participants were greeted by the President of the University of Technology Tatyana Startseva, the Rector Alexei Shchikanov and the Deputy Head of the Administration of the city Korolev Victoria Koroleva.They emphasized that the main task of the cluster «North-East» is the preservation, replenishment and development of the scientific potential not only of the Moscow region, but of all the country. 

The main issue for discussion at the meeting was the creation of the network technology centers for additive and related technologies in Russia as part of the implementation of the federal program of strategic academic leadership «Priority 2030». The Leonov University of Technology, as part of a consortium organized by the St.Petersburg State Marine Technical University (SMTU), became part of this program, and on its basis the first regional technology center in Russia will be created for the development and implementation of the advanced technologies for laser processing of materials and additive manufacturing, digital design systems and modeling to create products of rocket and space technology with characteristics identical to or exceeding the best world analogues. 

The main goals, objectives and prospects for the work of the consortium, which brings together the country's leading technical universities, were announced by the Rector of SMTU Gleb Turichin: 

– The modern technical universities are not only centers for training of qualified personnel. These are serious research centers where new technologies and materials for high-tech industries are created. Our industrial enterprises today more than ever need a scientific and technological breakthrough. The additive and laser technologies that we are talking about today will help ensure their further development. Therefore, we are creating a number of technology centers where cooperation between universities and defense industry enterprises has already been established. I consider it natural that the first one will be created here, at the University of Technology in Korolev, in the heart of Russian cosmonautics.

The University of Technology already has a serious scientific school and material and technical facilities for research and development. Here, together with JSC «Kompozit», the Engineering Center «High-Temperature Composite Materials» was created. The Center performs research and technological development on orders from the enterprises of the rocket and space industry. Also, thanks to the Center, it became possible to create a unique educational trajectory for the university students to undergo practical training at the manufacturing enterprises, to defend the graduating projects and postgraduate dissertations under the scientific guidance of the specialists from the enterprises of defense industrial complex. 

– The application of additive technologies is a new round in the development of both our university and our partner enterprises, – said Vyacheslav Startsev, the First Vice-Rector of the University of Technology, during his speech at the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the cluster «North-East». – As part of the implementation of the program «Priority 2030», we will create an appropriate technology center with the most modern equipment: 3D printers, ILIST-M laser metal deposition machines, SLM and SLS machines, FDM system and Additec DED. 

The participants of the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the cluster «North-East» paid special attention to the implementation of the system of continuous education and early career guidance for schoolchildren. Nadezhda Vasina, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Additional Education of the University, spoke about the results of work of the specialized classes network «IngeTech» for schoolchildren: 

– Our task is to involve children as early as possible in technical creativity and thereby increase the prestige of engineering professions. To do this, we work closely with the schools in the Moscow region. For several years the centers for additional education for schoolchildren have been successfully operating at our university: the Children's Technopark «Quantorium» and  the Isaev House of Scientific Collaboration. Using this database we have created our own program «IngeTech» for the schoolchildren in grades1-4, where we pay special attention to the project activity of the children. As a result of this activity we select the gifted children. Our schoolchildren are already the winners of the open robotics competitions and rocket modeling cups. This year we are planning to launch the similar programs for the schoolchildren in grades 5-9 and upper formers. 

Another important tool in implementation of early career guidance for schoolchildren is the International Space Olympiad which has been held in the science city Korolev since 1992. 

– Our Olympiad has no analogues in the world. Its main goal is to foster the upper formers' interest in the aerospace professions, – stated the Deputy Head of the Administration of city Korolev Victoria Koroleva. – For 30 years thousands of schoolchildren have taken part in it. Within its framework the schoolchildren under the guidance of the enterprises' specialists work on their projects which they can then develop while studying at the university and further in their professional activity. Thus the young people find their way in the rocket and space industry. 

The participants of the meeting supported the idea of further development for the continuous education system «from school to production». They noted that the schoolchildren should be involved as early as possible in solving real production problems, they should be trained on high tech equipment, including within the framework of the emerging national network of technology centers for additive and related technologies. The attendees exchanged views and discussed the ways of further interaction in the new realities within the program «Priority 2030».

The meeting ended with the solemn signing of the agreement on the creation of the consortium organized by the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University (SMTU) under the  program «Priority 2030». Together with SMTU and the University of Technology, it was signed by the State Corporations «Roscosmos» and «Rosatom», JSC «Kompozit», the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the United Engine Corporation, the UEC-Ufa Motor-Building Production Association, the MSUT Stankin, the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University n.a. R.E. Alekseev, the Perm National Research Polytechnic University, the Samara National Research University n.a. S.P. Korolev, the Ufa State Aviation Technical University, the Far Eastern Federal University, the Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University.