At the meeting of the Association for Facilitation of Digital development Rustam Minnikhanov has called for active use of innovations so that scientific and technical outcomes are not just on paper

On 14 February the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov took part in a regular meeting of the Association for Facilitation of Digital development held at Kazan State Power Engineering University and dedicated to development of university technological entrepreneurship in Tatarstan.

Welcoming participants of the meeting, Rustam Minnikhanov said that such events help to carry out objective analysis of current issues of functioning of scientific and educational complex of the republic and to implement the most important initiatives of its further development.

“As Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a recent meeting of the Council on Science and Education, “to achieve technological independence, the domestic economy badly needs its own developments which are in demand right now.” The time when we could do research just for the sake of research despite prospects of use of their practical outcomes is gone”, Rustam Minnikhanov said.

He attracted attention of the participants to the fact that “new knowledge and technologies developed by our scientists in a number of spheres are in line with international standards However despite the achievements, some most important scientific and technical outcomes still remain on paper and are not going to production”.

He said that according to official data only 12 per cent of companies in the real sector of domestic economy are really innovatively active which testifies about their critically low susceptibility to innovations.

“That is why the platform of university technological entrepreneurship is especially interesting both for our country and its regions. Efficient use of this tool will make it possible to take work in development of entrepreneurial skills of students and the faculty to the new level. Last year our universities achieved certain success in this respect,”Rustam Minnikhanov said.

He reminded that 129 projects from Tatarstan won the competition of “Students’ Startup” and due to this work the universities of the republic made an important step to the formation of “University3.0” model.

“Today’s topic is extremely important and I am expecting active work and feasible results from all of you in the nearest future”, he said.

Rustam Minnikhanov also informed that by the decree of the Russian President, the Rector of Kazan State Power Engineering University Edvard Abdullazyanov was awarded the second-class medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland.