On December, 6 a board meeting of "Tatneftekhiminvest" Holding where also participated the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnihanov was held at Kazan Federal University. The meeting was dedicated to the scientific and practical possibilities of the University in the development of petrochemical industry of the Republic.
Before the meeting the board members visited the laboratories in the Chemical Institute n.a. Butlerov and the Institute of Physics. The exhibition of the latest achievements and capabilities of Kazan University in chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological fields was organized on the ground floor of the Scientific Library n.a. Lobachevsky. President Rustam Minnihanov got acquinted with the development of the Federal University.
Opening the board the President said: “It is not a coincidence that our board is held at Kazan Federal University, we should attract our industry to our science. Over the past two years there is a major upgrade of science and universities are transformed. You saw the laboratories of Kazan Federal University. It is a huge potential and it should work for the economy of our country and our Republic”.
As Rustam Minnikhanov explained, there were formed the specific areas where close partnerships between research centers and enterprises were established.
Rector Ilshat Gafurov told about the contemporary possibilities of KFU in science and innovation. Among the university developing areas are biotechnology, biomedicine and pharmacy, oil production, oil refining and petrochemicals, information and communication technologies and infrastructure. Ilshat Rafkatovich proposed the following measures for further integration with production: to organize the research and development projects at three leading Kazan universities and to encourage undergraduate and postgraduate students to make their researches on current issues of Tatarstan industry. His speech aroused great interest among the participants.
KFU Vice-rektor on science told about current and future projects of the University in chemistry, petrochemicals, pharmacy, biomedicine and biotechnology. Speaking about the cooperation in oil industry, he said that KFU signed several contracts with small oil companies, and now they prepare a program of cooperation with “Tatneft”. “Industry should set us the most urgent tasks and more ambitious is better”, said Vice- rector. “We can solve any problems”.
Rustam Minnikhanov noted that the process of university science modernization is carried out dynamically, and now we should sign agreements on scientific cooperation.
The question concerning the development of raw materials according to the needs of Tatarstan automotive industry was also discussed during the meeting. The first Vice-president and Executive Director of “Ford Sollers Holding” Adil Shirinov informed about the needs of “Ford” company in polymer material.
At the end of the meeting the CEO of "Tatneftekhiminvest" Holding Rafinat Yarullin informed on the implementation of decisions of the Holding Board of Directors for the supply of hydrocarbons and petrochemicals to enterprises and small businesses of Tatarstan petrochemical complex in 2012. He noted that the integration in this sector is going well, especially due to “Tatneft”, “Nizhnekamskneftekhim”, “Kazanorgsintez”. However, there is a great shortage of some products, such as ethylene in the country. The projects that are realized in industry are aimed at eliminating this problem, R.Yarullin told. The Board of Directors has approved a similar document for 2013.