NSTU NETI began the construction of its own experimental technology center for world-class research and for refining the new technologies created by the University faculty.
Upon completing the project, the University administration expects to nearly double the University's scientific research income, up to 700 million rubles per year. The Ministry of Education and Science of Russia allocated 230 million rubles for the center creation in order to promote the developments for the needs of the National Technological Initiative markets and cooperation between science and business.
One of NSTU NETI buildings is being renovated into the center since early December 2019. The center is based on the unused 5A Building which was built in 1985 for the University's computing center. For obvious reasons, the Soviet-made computers became obsolete and were removed; the building was repurposed for experimental design work. In 2019, the University administration proposed to renovate the building for the creation of modern world-class research laboratories, and the Ministry of Education and Science supported the project.
Thanks to the modernization, the building will "grow" in height — from two to five floors - and in size— from 2,600 to 4,000 sq. m. The new venue will allow some laboratories, which are currently working in inappropriate premises, to place modern research equipment. The load on laboratories and research centers will be significantly lighter and there will be a groundwork for the further development of scientific and technological activities of the University. The technology center is planned to accommodate a modern computer center, laboratory of quantum cryoelectronics, laboratory of NSTU NETI Institute of Power Electronics, prototyping center, "Nanotechnology" scientific and educational center and the shared research center. In addition, there will also be a rare aircraft restoration laboratory.
In 2018, NSTU NETI conducted 400 million rubles worth research. According to Anatoly Bataev, University Rector, many research teams of the University are ready to offer specific applied developments to business and the state within the needs of the National Technological Initiative markets : "But it requires modern equipment and comfortable working conditions. Our own technology center will allow us to build a real entrepreneurial University, where research teams will be able to create prototypes of their developments, fulfill orders of commercial companies, implementing the concept of science and business integration."
The renovation and commissioning of the building of NSTU NETI experimental technology center is likely to double the volume of orders for scientific research including the ones for the military, space and aviation equipment.
The estimated cost of the building reconstruction taking into account the additional space will be about 230 million rubles. The price of one square meter will be about 50 thousand rubles, which corresponds to the estimated standards for the renovation and construction in Novosibirsk Oblast.
The Federal budget will not have to finance the equipment for the technology center since it will be purchased at the expense of grant funds and the University's own funds. "We will not include the research equipment installation in the cost of construction. A substantial proportion of funding received as a result of NSTU NETI participation in scientific contests and grants of the Ministry of Education and Science is to be spent on purchasing new equipment for research work. Some equipment is already available. This is our technical groundwork for research activities", said Aleksey Vostretsov, NSTU NETI Research Vice-Rector.
The technology center construction will share the style solutions of the nearby NSTU NETI Lyshchinskiy Scientific Library design. The construction should be completed by the end of 2020.