Dmitry Pumpyanskiy: “Businesses are interested in setting up advanced engineering schools”

16.02.2022 Dmitry Pumpyanskiy: "Businesses are interested in setting up advanced engineering schools"

Russian businesses are interested in Advanced Engineering Schools, a federal project to train highly skilled engineering talent to help serve the country's economy. This was the message from Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, Chairman of TMK's Board of Directors and Co-Chairman of the Committee on Vocational Training and Qualifications of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), as he spoke at a public forum on the project, held online on the RSPP platform.

The forum was attended by Valery Falkov, Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education, Alexander Shokhin, President of RSPP, Andrey Volkov, Academic Supervisor of the strategic academic leadership program Priority 2030, as well as representatives of over 60 high-tech Russian companies, members of the RSPP, and rectors of several Russian universities.

According to Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, the business community supports the project to set up engineering schools. He said: "Russian companies urgently need advanced engineering talent. This project can provide the talent needed for many promising projects of national strategic importance in various industries."

Dmitry Pumpyansky also proposed a number of incentives for companies from the real sector to participate in the initiative. First of all, engineering schools should have a legal structure that enables the creation of joint ventures and partnerships with businesses and addresses matters relating to intellectual property rights for proprietary solutions.

Dmitry Pumpyanskiy commented:

"Advanced engineering schools will develop state-of-the-art solutions and their own know-how. It is not just about engineering developments but also about methodology and education. Each school will seek to protect, disseminate and commercialize their discoveries. But their intellectual property rights also need protection. An appropriate legal structure and mechanisms for cooperation between businesses and universities will help solve this issue."

According to him, each school should have a choice of business partners to raise the necessary investments in its development. Dmitry Pumpyanskiy also said that businesses are ready to assist the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education in preparing proposals to the Russian Government on tax deductions for companies investing in engineering schools.

He said: "We are ready to collaborate with the Ministry to prepare proposals on investment tax deductions for Russian businesses that will participate in the project to set up engineering schools. This would be the strongest incentive for businesses and could make a substantial positive impact."

These proposals met a positive response at the meeting and will be considered as the work on the project progresses. During the meeting, Dmitry Pumpyanskiy was also appointed by the RSPP to coordinate the work on the project between the business community and the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The advanced engineering schools are among 42 strategic initiatives of the Russian Government aimed at improving people's living standards. The project aims to train skilled workers for the country's highly productive export-oriented industries. Plans until 2030 include setting up 30 schools in partnership with high-tech companies and retraining up to 10 thousand instructors and employees of advanced engineering schools by the end of 2030. Today's event on the RSPP platform has set this project in motion.