Within the second intensive educational workshop entitled “Island 10-22” held in Moscow at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, South Ural State University and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University concluded an agreement on establishing the first Mirror Engineering Centre (MEC).
The universities are planning to cooperate in research, innovative and educational activities in the form of a joint research and education centre “Competence Centre ‘New Manufacturing Technologies’. The Urals”.
The Agreement was signed by the SUSU Vice-Rector for Research, Aleksandr Diakonov, and the SPbPU Vice-Rector for Perspective Projects, Aleksey Borovkov.
“In order to establish this Centre, South Ural State University and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University have put a lot of efforts,” notes Aleksandr Diakonov. “Starting from 2017, our university has been taking part in creation and elaboration of the technological concept for the Competence Centre ‘New Manufacturing Technologies’. Then we were among the first ones to join the consortium when forming an application for establishment of the Competence Centre. In 2018 and 2019 at various venues of the National Technology Initiative, Agency for Strategic Initiatives and forums dedicated to University 20.35, we’ve been forming the concept of arranging different variants of a Competence Centre in the Urals at South Ural State University; a lot of variants had been considered: representation office, branch institution, etc. But in the end, Aleksey Borovkov, thanks to his huge experience, came to a unique solution: establishing of a Mirror Engineering Centre. And this indeed is a mirror engineering centre. South Ural State University possesses practically all identical software, and the sphere of our competencies is duly supplementing and enhancing the general consortium.”
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The universities agreed on a joint solution of the problem of manufacturing technologies’ development, as well as on elaboration of new types of hi-tech products, and on development of prototypes and their implementation in the industry; tests are to be carried out, including the virtual ones.
The universities are supposed to cooperate at the following common venues:
- An Engineering Centre at SUSU designated to solve applied problems of the industry;
- An Educational Centre in order to implement joint educational programmes;
- A joint test field for development of some technologies and their adjustment for industrial implementation;
- Consortium Laboratory of the NTI Centre at SPbPU.
“For our university, establishment of such a Centre gives a chance to take part in global research projects. Right now we are discussing a major project in the sphere of development of advanced agricultural equipment on the basis of alternative power sources. Moreover, activity of the Centre covers a very wide range of problems connected with studying. Our students get a unique chance to complete courses on many contemporary software: bionic design, computer engineering and manufacture, additive technology, new materials and technology, innovative product marketing, and many other,” explains Aleksandr Diakonov.
For the reference:
The key activity of the Competence Centre “New Manufacturing Technologies” is developing solutions in order to create hi-tech world-class products with the use of new manufacturing technologies and cross-industry and multidisciplinary competencies of engineers and scientists of SPbPU as well as the members of the project consortium, which as of the state on June 2019 includes 52 participants and more than 25 partner companies.