INRTU presented advanced technologies and developments to Valery Falkov, Head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Irkutsk National Research Technical University presented the Technologies for Mining and Geological Industry, Aircraft Engineering, and experience of the Winter Urban University to the head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Valery Falkov. The Minister visited INRTU together with Igor Kobzev, the Governor of Irkutsk Region.

Mikhail Korniakov, Rector of INRTU, noted that the exhibition which was organized in the university Technopark demonstrated the advanced developments that were implemented due to participation in the Priority 2030 Program. The total amount of funding in 2021-2023 amounts to 793 million rubles, including a special grant in the direction of Territorial/Sectoral leadership. In 2022 the university carried out R&D worth 450 million rubles, most of which are economic agreements. During the two years of participation in the program, scientists and students offered over 20 engineering and technological solutions.

The visit started from the Center of Geodesy and Surveying Development, established by INRTU within the Priority 2030 Program.

Valery Falkov was shown high-tech equipment, the LIS-1 laser measuring system. This is a fundamentally new automated station for profiling vertical mine shafts at mining enterprises. The design solutions of Irkutsk engineers make it possible to quickly and accurately perform the work in the most complex shafts, provide the customer with maximum information, which will help timely make decisions that affect the safety and performance of the enterprise. The development is unique and has no analogues in domestic mining surveying.

Among the industrial partners of the center are RUSAL, Irkutsk Oil Company, Norilsk Nickel, EuroChem, GV GOLD, Rostec, ROSATOM. Currently, work is underway with RUSAL to implement the indoor warehouse monitoring system to control mineral raw materials movement.

In the INRTU exhibition hall Valery Falkov was presented with other developments created within the Priority 2030 Program for two strategic projects, Digital industrial technologies (i.DIT) and i.GeoDesign.

Alexander Makaruk, the scientific director of the i.DIT project, explained that INRTU pays great attention to the technologies of manufacturing and repairing the parts from polymer composite materials used in the aircraft and other industries. A step drill has been created for processing holes in mixed packages containing metals and polymer composite material. Over 150 students, undergraduates and postgraduates are involved in the work. These technologies are already used by the industrial partners of the university, e.g. Irkut Corporation, Ilyushin Aviation Complex, Tupolev.

Alexander Parshin, scientific director of the i.GeoDesign project, spoke on the features of an unmanned aircraft system for Integrated Geophysical Survey. At a lower cost, in comparison with foreign counterparts, the equipment provides high accuracy in geophysical exploration. The scientific team of the Siberian School of Geosciences uses unmanned system to search for and explore minerals in Taimyr, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, the Transbaikal Region and Magadan.

At the exhibition Valery Falkov became interested in the 25-year experience of the International Baikal Winter University of Urban Planning Design. According to Vitaly Peshkov, Director of the School of Architecture, Construction and Design, the INRTU created a unique format for training specialists in architecture, urban planning and design, based on the project approach in international interdisciplinary partnership.

Over the years, more than a thousand young professionals from 43 countries have already participated in the sessions. The project attracted 50 partner universities and 200 international experts. During the sessions 42 design arias were considered, over 100 concepts of territory development were created, including the existing Academic Business Center in Irkutsk, the Irkutsk regional library, the ‘130th Quarter’, famous for dozens of monuments of wooden architecture.

Addressin the Minister, Yury Perelygin, Head of International Baikal Winter Urban University, stressed that this educational model can be scaled to other Russian universities.

Valery Falkov recommended the INRTU staff to integrate the urban planning university in the educational process.

Photos of Arseny Chekmariov