May traditionally becomes the month when organizations that are part of a nuclear-innovation cluster gather in Dimitrovgrad in order to take stock and outline ways for further development.
The Chairman of the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region, Alexander Smekalin addressed the audience with a welcoming speech.
We gather annually at a similar event and I am glad to see both the regular partners of the cluster, and new faces, as well as guests from JSC "TVEL. Since its establishment in 2012, the cluster has grown from a small association of several organizations, like-minded people and partners to a large territorial association of organizations and companies of the Ulyanovsk region, whose activities affect not only the regional economy, but also, in a certain way, the national economic and scientific indicators. I think that now we can talk about the stage of maturity of cluster cooperation in the territory of the Ulyanovsk region, – said Alexander Smekalin.
The mandatory part of the annual meeting is the report of the head of the cluster development center Albert Gataullin.
Currently, the Dimitrovgrad cluster includes more than 60 organizations and enterprises of the Ulyanovsk region, including 10 educational and scientific organizations, 30 small innovative companies and 6 consulting and engineering objects of the innovation infrastructure of the region. At the end of 2018, total cluster revenues amounted to more than 10 billion rubles, and the average output per employee is close to 1.9 million rubles. per person. Considering the scientific and innovative profile of the participants of the Nuclear Research Institute, it is necessary to note the high contribution of the cluster association to R & D, implemented in the region - by more than 2.5 billion rubles, while the number of patents and other RID members of the cluster is more than 300 (of which 36 are international). In total, the cluster's portfolio of projects includes more than 50 innovative projects; by the end of 2018, 18 new projects in the field of medicine, new materials, alternative energy and information technologies were included in the development program..
With the support of the ANO, the TsRC actively implements programs for improving the skills of the cluster employees - more than 130 people took part in educational projects of the cluster, including about 40 in the project management programs. Participants of the Nuclear Research Institute were able to present their scientific achievements and products in 14 exhibitions and forums, including in 4 foreign and 2 organized in the region..
Particular attention in the activities of the ANO CRK is paid to promoting the development of MIP - cluster members to the market. During the year, in this area of activity, support was provided to 12 MIPs in the field of certification and registration of products, patent protection, inclusion of major companies and GK Rosatom in the list of suppliers.
ANO "CRK" actively develops inter-cluster and international cooperation. Close ties have been established with other innovation and clusters of Russia and similar organizations abroad. Among the partners and participants in the implementation of the projects of the IIC more than 20 partners, t.ch. 6 from the Czech Republic, Germany, China and Japan.
Igor Knyazkin, Deputy Director for Economics and Finance of the SSC RIAR JSC, also spoke about positive trends. In the three years to 2018, the company underwent a financial recovery with serious changes that led not only to break-even, but also to stable revenue. He noted that the institute is looking to the future with confidence, and also thanked the city administration for its cooperation, in which he sees great potential for development.
Of course, one of the most relevant and large projects of the cluster is the project to create the Federal High-Tech Medical Radiology Center (FMRС) in Dimitrovgrad. As the Acting General Director of FVTSMR Lyubov Shulepova told the audience, now she is commissioning the buildings, registering and licensing the center, receiving documents for working with radioactive sources. Also, there is a work on staffing.
Acting Mayor Yury Chernousov noted that thanks to cluster projects, Dimitrovgrad has become recognizable at the international level. The launch of the FMRС will give a powerful impetus to the development of the city, all spheres of its life. The improvement of the urban infrastructure and the creation of a really comfortable urban environment continues.
Of course, all projects of cluster members are equally important and the level of priority of support is the same. Therefore, at annual meetings we pay great attention to the issues of comprehensive support for projects, including those projects that are implemented by small innovative enterprises. We also annually review new projects of our cluster members. This time we are considering 3 projects, 2 of which are related to the IT sphere. These are the projects of AIS Gorod LLC - “Electronic Municipality”, QWERTY LLC - “CRM-system for project management”, and Pulse Energy Systems LLC - “Impulse system of transmission, transformation and distribution of electrical energy in energy systems”.
At the end of the meeting, the chairperson again addressed the participants:
Today, the cluster includes 64 organizations, including 7 educational institutions, 3 research organizations, 6 consulting companies and organizations of the innovation infrastructure of the region, large industrial enterprises and regional and city authorities. Of course, the internal development potential of the cluster in the aggregate of small innovative companies - making up the majority of the cluster members. Such a structural composition of a cluster association allows, on the one hand, to solve any complex scientific and technical problems, and on the other hand, to promptly react to any changes in market needs and enter into risky innovative projects without significant loss of material and time resources. Cluster profile - scientific and educational innovation. Proper organization of the distribution of scientific and industrial resources among the cluster members allowed the cluster to enter a number of the best cluster associations in the country. The successes that we have heard today, of course, is the merit of all cluster members, but we must remember that the presence of cluster cooperation and effective support from the region and the management company makes it possible to accelerate the development of innovative business, – concluded Alexander Smekalin.
Following the meeting, it was decided to intensify the work of the management company to stimulate innovation, monitor the status of projects and the needs of participants, make changes to the cluster development program annually approved by the regional governor, in accordance with changes in the current economic situation, the organizational structure for implementing support mechanisms for participants the needs of our colleagues, both existing participating organizations and new partners.
