Federal and provincial executives gathered in Innopolis on July 18th to discuss further developments for Innokam.

The meeting was presided by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Vice-Premier of Russia Arkady Dvorkovich. Heads of ministries and agencies, industrial moguls, and rectors of leading universities were also present.

Rector Ilshat Gafurov's speech was among the most significant. KFU’s ideas will be fully implemented in further projects of the industrial cluster.

The University's presence in the Kama river region is very noticeable. Elabuga Institute has received 150 million rubles in investment in the last 4 years and spent them on new equipment and multiple workshops. Naberezhnye Chelny Institute now comprises 6 faculties and is a home for almost 10 thousand students.

Rector Gafurov put forth three major proposals for the development of local higher education: to launch a joint science park, to build additional dorms, and to provide more budget-funded vacancies for students. If that is accomplished, other domestic and foreign universities can join in the future to create a special educational zone concentrated on machine building and related fields of knowledge. Kazan University, of course, can serve as the base for this new cluster.

Other participants also presented their vision, among them Rector of Kazan National Research Technical University Albert Gilmutdinov, Rector of Kazan National Research Technological University Gehrman Dyakonov, and General Director of TNKI Holding Rafinat Yarullin.

Earlier that day Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Russia Alexander Povalko toured the University. He visited the renovated facilities of the Institute of Management, Economics and Finance, witnessed the ongoing works at the Student City dorms, and went to see what’s new with the pharmaceutical production line and KFU Observatory.