The new executive assumed office on December 18th.

The position was vacant for a month since Andrey Artemyev ​had stepped down.

In his comment to the KFU press office, Mr. Pashin said, “The main objective is to develop technological entrepreneurship. I am convinced that the University has all the conditions for success in this regard, including necessary competences, the infrastructure, and a constant influx of ambitious and creative students and young scientists. I think that KFU has a 100% chance to accomplish everything.”

The Vice-Rector shared some of his preliminary ideas on how to achieve these results. He wants to involve students more, with professors taking roles mostly as consultants. KFU can create new companies, startups for open innovations. The University can grow companies to a certain extent and then sell them. The aim is to arrange a serial production of such startups. He also promised to support the existing fruitful initiatives, such as those in social entrepreneurship.

Dmitry Pashin has had an extensive experience in technological business, innovation, and nanotechnology. He started his first business while being a PhD candidate at Kazan Aviation Institute (now Kazan National Research Technical University) and has worked in a number of other spheres, such as stock trading and oil futures. He shifted to nanotechnology in 2004 and completed a course in business at the Open University. Since 2012, he worked as the General Director of the Center for Nanotechnology of Tatarstan.

On his first day at KFU, Vice-Rector Pashin already partook in a discussion on robotics.