The results of the open public contest for state support of pilot projects for creation and development of engineering centres based on higher educational institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation have been announced. There were 65 applications, 11 of which were selected by the jury. Voronezh State University is one of the 11 winners. This is the first time we’ve won in such a contest. The application was prepared by the Faculty of Geology together with the VSU Department of Innovations and Enterprise Management.
VSU will open its engineering centre I-Technology in 2018. It will provide engineering services to enterprises specialising in extraction and processing of commercial minerals, manufacturing glass, pottery clay and fire-clay goods, as well as chemical and steel industries. The centre will be supervised by the dean of the Faculty of Geology, Victor Nenakhov.
The major objectives of the engineering centre include developing innovative project and technological solutions for non-waste extraction of minerals with concurrent extraction of strategic marketable raw materials, and introducing this solutions at the enterprises of the region. The characteristic feature of the new technology is that it ensures non-waste production and thus promotes sustainable use of natural resources. The recycling materials are various kinds of waste produced during the excavation of common mineral resources. One of the advantages of the project is that it is the only such project in the Voronezh Region and in Central Russia. The technology has already been successfully tested at several large enterprises of the region.
Among the objectives of the project is also the development of import-substituting production that will allow to reduce the amount of raw materials imported from Ukraine, South Africa, and Australia.
Our university is quite experienced in carrying out research projects and providing engineering services to the real economy sector companies of the region. This experience will be the basis of the engineering centre, whose functioning will be supported by the Faculty of Geology, the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Physics, and the Institute of Geology. The research infrastructure of the centre includes VSU Science Park, Centre for Collective Use of Scientific Equipment, and VSU-based small innovative businesses.
In 2017, VSU accumulated sufficient funds and human resources for the engineering centre, and reached agreement with a number of enterprises.
