Rostec Director of Science and Business Cooperation — on strengthening cooperation between the industrial sector and universities and what role the State Corporation plays in this.
An important strategic task of modern Russia is to achieve technological sovereignty. And science is one of the main drivers of its implementation. Rostec State Corporation is making a significant contribution to this area by creating promising and competitive designs for both military and civilian applications together with universities and research institutes.
Elena Druzhinina, Director of Cooperation between Science and Business at Rostec, told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in an interview about how the innovation cycle has shortened today, from new knowledge to bringing technology to market, what programs the State Corporation has launched to attract highly qualified specialists to production, what results young scientists are achieving at Rostec enterprises, and much more.
— Elena Sergeevna, evaluate the development of cooperation between universities and enterprises in the real sector of the economy in recent years.
— There was a period in the history of our country when we abandoned our own developments in favor of ready-made technologies and equipment purchased abroad. In the 90s of the last century, scientific production enterprises and branch scientific institutes were closed everywhere. All this eventually led to the disappearance of many significant competencies and the outflow of people to other countries.
It is safe to say that we have learned from our history and drawn the necessary conclusions. Today we see a turn of the state and enterprises towards Russian science. President Vladimir Putin constantly emphasizes the need to increase investments in the development of scientific research, including from private business. It is worth noting that science is becoming more and more open and flexible to change. The number of participants and the formats of their interaction is increasing. Production is also changing: the innovation cycle is shortening, and the time between acquiring new knowledge, creating technologies, and bringing them to market is decreasing. Previously, the innovation cycle took decades, today it reaches five years.
Increasingly, we see that Russian enterprises are turning to universities and research institutes for new knowledge. Universities participate in Rostec's largest projects in the field of aircraft and engine engineering, medical instrumentation, microelectronics, and many others. For example, the creation of a fully import-substituted Superjet—100 aircraft is a huge team effort by enterprises under the auspices of the Yakovlev United Aircraft Corporation, which involves universities from all over the country: Moscow Aviation Institute, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Tomsk State University, Perm Polytechnic University and many others.
— What are universities doing to protect our country, including in cooperation with industrial enterprises?
— Modern universities are large scientific and technological platforms that are becoming full—fledged players in the high-tech market. Universities have competencies that today enterprises are learning to use profitably.
A specific example: one of Rostec's enterprises is working on the creation of components for cartridges from the Mendeleev Russian Technical Technical University, Kazan National Research Technological University, Moscow Polytechnic University, Samara State Technical University.
And the team of the Advanced Engineering School "Intelligent Defense Systems", established on the basis of Tula State University in cooperation with the NGO "High-Precision Complexes", is working on a family of autonomous robotic complexes using artificial intelligence technologies and advanced composite materials.
Protecting our country is also about ensuring successful import substitution in critical technologies. For example, in the field of radio engineering and microelectronics. A striking example of this is the interaction between the Russian Technological University of MIREA and the Istok Scientific and Production Enterprise. Shokin in the field of microwave technologies. The production of radar, radio navigation and radio communication equipment in the civil and military spheres, aviation, medical and other industries depends on ultrahigh frequency electronics technologies.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the task of strengthening cooperation between science and enterprises in the real sector of the economy. Tell us about new projects in this area.
— The whole world is currently involved in the race for technological leadership, primarily in the field of digital technologies, microelectronics and biotechnology. In the next decade, world leaders in these areas will be identified, who will localize competencies and production in their territories. To lead in this race, we need new mechanisms for cooperation between the scientific and industrial sectors.
For example, industrial postgraduate studies. It trains engineers for the real sector of the economy, where at the end of the training a project is defended, ready for implementation at a specific enterprise. This model is more closely related to industry and is distinguished by dual scientific leadership — from the enterprise and from the university. Vladimir Putin gave an unofficial start to the project in February 2024 during a trip to the Chelyabinsk region, when he promised to think about how to attract graduate students to the work of production facilities. This was the impetus for the development of the project. In October last year, at a meeting of the Bureau of the Union of Machine Builders of Russia, it was announced the launch of a pilot project for industrial postgraduate studies. Rostec became his strategic partner. The first set of graduate students will be held this year. The pilot project has already officially started.
In addition to industrial postgraduate studies, I would also single out scientific and industrial associations. We have outlined specific plans for NGOs, which include cooperation in medicine, transport and technological systems, and electromechanics. In addition, the Ministry of Education and Science and the Russian Academy of Sciences are improving government procurement mechanisms for scientific research focused on the needs of a qualified customer.
— Are young people involved in solving non-standard scientific and technological tasks in production today?
— Now is definitely the best time for young scientists. They are involved in the full range of scientific research conducted at Rostec.: This includes the development of new products, modern models of equipment, the creation of new materials, the development of design for new models of civilian products, and so on.
For example, young scientists from the United Engine Corporation are actively involved in the development of engines for domestic aviation. For example, the leading designer of the A. Lyulka Experimental Design Bureau, Georgy Gogaev, was awarded the prize of the President of the Russian Federation in the field of science and innovation for a range of work in the field of engine building (approx. — the work is associated with an increase in the life of aircraft engines).
And the result of the work of Mikhail Efimov, a young engineer at the Ulyanovsk Instrument Engineering Bureau (KRET), is used in products that provide navigation, display, flight control, and critical mode warning on MC-21, SJ-100, Tu-214 and others aircraft.
Rostec is actively working to make the profession of a designer and engineer attractive again. In order for young people not only to stay in production, but also to develop in the scientific field, they need to be motivated. A separate working group is working on this issue at the Corporation, which includes young researchers from our enterprises.
— What other instruments of cooperation between science and industry are being created today?
— Rostec initiated the creation of the Council of Flagship Scientific and Educational Organizations, which, along with representatives of the Corporation, included the country's leading universities - Moscow State University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, MAI, MIPT, IRNTU and others. One of the tasks of the council is to create mechanisms for technology transfer from universities to production.
The council members are already working closely with our enterprises. For example, automated systems manufactured by IRNTU are installed at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of PJSC Il Aviastar, and the Kazan Aviation Plant. The technology provides a 2-4-fold increase in productivity and high precision in the shape of parts.
Bauman Moscow State Technical University is a strategic partner of many of our enterprises. Together with KAMAZ PJSC, experienced multifunctional machines are being created, for example, a super-all-terrain vehicle for the Far North, logging machines. It is planned to develop balloon technology with Roselektronika, create medical equipment with the Radioelectronic Technologies concern, and so on.
— Tell us in more detail, what are the main challenges facing universities in the field of science today?
— Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has repeatedly pointed out the key role of science in Russia's technological development strategy. And this strategy itself, and the president also spoke about this, is equivalent in importance to the national security strategy. In the face of unprecedented sanctions pressure, our universities have to not only eliminate existing problems, but also ensure a qualitative breakthrough in the development of science. To do this, it is necessary to coordinate university research with the needs of the real sector, create effective ways to bring university developments to high levels of readiness, take into account the acceleration and complexity of technological processes, and train specialists with various, including completely new competencies.
It is with these challenges in mind that the development strategies of 38 engineering universities are being developed today. They focus on priorities for achieving concrete results in conjunction with industrial partners. Each of these universities will have a general designer. These specialists will be responsible for the development and implementation of projects that contribute to progress in science and technology.
— What tasks are you planning to solve in the near future and for the future?
— This is, of course, scaling up the format of industrial postgraduate studies. We are also increasingly thinking about the inclusion of social and humanitarian knowledge in technical sciences. The humanities help engineers become more aware of the social and cultural contexts in which technology is created and used.
For example, MGUA helps us with the project of industrial postgraduate studies in terms of consultations on regulatory acts, and it is planned to develop the format of industrial postgraduate studies with MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Many universities, including those with a social and humanitarian orientation, are working on rehabilitation, retraining and social adaptation of participants and veterans of their educational institutions. These are, for example, the RSSU and the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation. Within the framework of the cooperation, the Cybathletics project is being implemented, which provides an opportunity to learn how to use modern prostheses both in everyday life and in professional activities. The Presidential Academy (RANEPA) implements many projects in this area.
We also plan to strengthen our work with Rostec's young scientists. We are currently providing additional support measures to improve the status of young researchers at our enterprises. For example, to establish a special Rostec award for young scientists.
