The Forum took place at Innopolis on April 26th – 27th, 2017.
While presenting the University’s booth, Rector Ilshat Gafurov emphasized the importance of innovation among its priorities, “We can call ourselves an innovative enterprise because this is one of the sides of our activity. The University has adopted a strategy that implies the creation, development, and translation of technologies, as well as teaching specialists who can not only create innovations but also establish new companies”.
KFU implements many programs of continuing and additional education for its own employees and external clients. The pertinence of such approach was stressed by Aide to the President of Russia Andrei Fursenko, “The time when we followed the formula “graduate and work” has passed. Now we have to study all our lives to not get behind the change. That’s why it’s important to continuously work on enhancing education quality. If we are persistent in this approach, it will not be a burden to live in a time of change – I think it’s the unique opportunity to live several lives at a time”.
KFU's experience of cooperating with industry is probably unrivalled in Tatarstan. Among the University’s priorities is using its research in social and economic development of the region. All of its institutes can participate – both in producing and introducing technological innovation and in structural reforms of the social sector.
This strategy allows to interweave research and project planning with the needs of the regional economy and to create conditions for the new “Universities as Innovation Centers” framework in Russian higher education. The University’s efforts don’t go unnoticed. President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov announced that KFU will be the base for the new system of intragovernmental monitoring and co-management of the social sphere of the region that is aimed at providing the efficient use of resources, attracting investment, and raising the citizens’ satisfaction with available social services.
The University supports innovative ideas through its business accelerator and assists in their market entry. There are currently over 40 small innovative enterprises housed by KFU, and each one of them shows growth.
One of the key questions is attracting investment. KFU shared its experience during a roundtable titled “Universities and science centers: How to build communication with business”. Some of its projects were presented, including the biggest ones – with Tatneft, NKNK, Innokam Cluster, KAMAZ, Ford Sollers, and others.