One of the main directions of transformations was the modernization of research and innovation activities. Today, the largest university in the region carries out a wide range of fundamental and applied scientific research, experimental and development projects.
- To what extent are the research conducted at VyatSU focused on the priority areas of socio-economic development of the Kirov region? - with this question we turned to Sergey Litvinets, the Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation of Vyatka State University.
- Completely. Moreover, the Program was created on the basis of the priorities of the socio-economic development of the region. When we set our plans for 2016-2020, we restructured our activities to meet the demands of the Kirov region, found appropriate growth points in order to move with it on the same course. It is not surprising that the results of the modernization of research and innovation activities of the university are manifested primarily at the regional level.
- Sergei Gennadievich, in this regard, it is interesting to learn about the activities of the Center of Excellence “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology” created at the university: is it obvious that it has become a platform for technology transfer to dynamically developing biotechnological enterprises in the region?
- That is true. Here is an example: the university is a main element in the development and scaling of innovative technologies for the production of unique recombinant vaccines. The main task of VyatSU in this cooperation is the reproduction of technology, the components of which are being developed by several research groups in Russia and abroad, as well as its scaling from the “test tube” level to industrial production.
It is important to note that the Center of Excellence “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology” is responsible for interaction with the regional industrial cluster of biotechnology, aimed at the development of biopharmaceuticals and including, along with VyatSU, about 20 participants. These are industrial enterprises, scientific and scientific and educational organizations.
Last year, the activities of VyatSU aimed at forming biopharmaceutical industry and the development of research infrastructure in high-tech areas of biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals again led to the consolidation of efforts of scientific and educational institutions of the region, industrial enterprises and authorities. The result was the decision of the Governor of the Kirov region to create a world-class scientific and educational center “Biopolis”, the main thematic area of which was biopharmaceuticals and immunobiology.
- Are there any achievements in the Center of Excellence related to the training of pharmaceutical specialists?
- Yes there is. An important stage in the activity of the Center of Excellence was the implementation of a project to develop an educational program for advanced training of aseptic production personnel using virtual reality technologies. As part of this project, a unique virtual reality simulator has been developed for Nanolek LLC to simulate the production of biopharmaceuticals. This is a fundamentally new approach to the training of specialists, for whom practical skills are extremely important, which is very difficult to provide in real production conditions, without compromising the product quality, the health of the consumer and the worker himself. I would like to note that the virtual reality simulator was presented at the VUZPROMEXPO-2019 exhibition and aroused great interest from both universities and industrial enterprises producing biopharmaceutical products.
The University Development Program also contains a block of measures related to the development of four centers of competence ...
- Quite right. We are talking about such centers of competence as “Polymer materials”, “Environmental technologies and systems”, “Use of biological resources”. Today, in each of them, is developing on topics relevant to the region; there are often examples of interesting collaboration with Russian and foreign partners.
- In particular, the competence center “Environmental technologies and systems” developed and tested organic fertilizers and soil preparations for plant protection based on biogenic agricultural waste last year. Another significant development is medical products based on perfluorocarbons. In addition, jointly with the FIOP RUSNANO the educational program “Agrochemicals: assortment, properties and production technologies” was created for “KCHK” JSC “United chemical company “URALCHEM”.
The center of competence “Polymer Materials” organized collaborations with the University of Montpellier (France) and the Fraunhofer University (Germany); syntheses of fluoropolymer materials were carried out in cooperation with the company “HaloPolymer”, Kirovo-Chepetsk.
The competence center “Use of biological resources” took an active part in the preparation of the Forestry Regulations, together with the Kirov Forest Certification Association and Sorvizh-les, LLC. Together they collected data on key sites and biotopes for the conservation of biodiversity in the Kirov region. The center's specialists also developed recommendations for organizing forestry activities in the Bushkovsky Forest State Nature Reserve, monitored the state of forest crops in the Medvedsky Bor specially protected natural area, and developed a technology for growing pine seedlings with a closed root system.
Another center of competence “Industrial and Business Engineering” declared in the Program has been transformed into an Engineering Center, created in close cooperation with the Government of the Kirov Region and the Council of Chief Designers of the region. The engineering center has actually become a platform for the development of innovative products and the manufacture of prototypes with the aim of their subsequent implementation at the enterprises of the region. The list of industrial partners and the volume of engineering services are constantly increasing. Among the projects - the development of a prototype of an automatic processing center for processing laminated veneer lumber and a technical passport for it by order of LLC “Elite Stroy Garant”, a welding wire plant in Kotelnich; the creation of new high-tech compounds based on a styrene block copolymer together with LLC “RusPlast”.
It is important to note that the activation of the work of all institutes of Vyatka State University with enterprises in the real sector of the economy led to the fact that by the end of 2019 the volume of contracted funds for the development of research work and research and development works exceeded the values of the previous year by 30 percent. VyatSU has long-standing partnerships with a significant part of the organizations - Lepse OJSC, Uralchem UCC JSC, Omutninsky Metallurgical Plant JSC, Nanolek LLC, SKB MT LLC and many others. At the same time, the university started implementing large projects with new partners. This is the development of a formulation of environmentally friendly solid dispersants for liquidating oil spills in offshore areas together with the Research Institute “Transneft”, the development of an automated control system for welding processes with information output to a PC in the interests of JSC “Chernomortransneft” - this list can be continued!
- Does this mean that the geography of Vyatgu partners is expanding beyond the region?
- Quite so. We are pleased that Vyatka state University successfully competes with other universities, including those that are more well-known and traditionally prestigious, even outside the Kirov region.
- Sergei Gennadievich, how does the university position its scientific activities? What are the most important accents from your point of view?
- Publications are a generally accepted indicator reflecting the effectiveness of scientific activity. In 2016, a Publication Activity Center was established at the university. Its main goal is to increase the recognition of VyatSU in the scientific and professional communities by ensuring an increase in the publication activity of our scientists. Today we can confidently say that the set goal has been achieved. Moreover, it is not so much a quantitative indicator that is important as a qualitative one: the number of publications has increased several times, including in journals of the 1st and 2nd quartiles.
- Sergey Gennadievich, can you give specific figures?
- Over the past five years, the number of publications in the Web of Science Core Collection has increased 3.5 times; in Scopus - 5 times. During this period, the number of articles in the most prestigious journals Q1 and Q2 increased by 8.6 times.
The number of publications in WoS and Scopus journals per employee has more than tripled; the number of authors from VyatSU published in these publications increased by 2 times. The citation rate of VyatSU scientists in WoS journals has increased 3 times, in Scopus journals - almost 7 times.
Let me also remind you that the university publishes 5 scientific and scientific-practical journals; one of them – “Theoretical and Applied Ecology” - is indexed by the RSCI Web of Science and Scopus. Three VyatSU journals are included in the VAK list; all are indexed by the RSCI.
- Is VyatSU becoming a venue for significant scientific events?
- Last year, the university successfully hosted an international scientific and practical conference “Fluoropolymers: Research, Production Problems, New Applications”, which brought together not only Russian and European researchers, but also developers from Japan, China, and South Africa.
A year earlier, about 100 scientists from different regions of Russia, as well as from France, Belarus, Kazakhstan, took part in the conference “Fundamental glycobiology”, a major event on this topic.
The All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Preservation of Forest Ecosystems: Problems and Ways to Solve”, organized by the Competence Center “Use of Biological Resources” of VyatSU, caused a great resonance in the professional community. Within the framework of this event, scientific debates took place, the venue of which has invariably been the site of the Center for Ecology and Forests Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Another feature of the conference was a trip to Medvedsky Bor, where experts on forest ecosystems from all over Russia were shown an example of successful cooperation between VyatSU scientists and entrepreneurs-forest users. The result of this mutually beneficial partnership was the preservation of the biological diversity of Medvedsky Bor.
I would also like to name the annual all-Russian conference on biodiagnostics, the inspirer and organizer of which for almost 20 years has been Professor Tamara Yakovlevna Ashikhmina.
- The events are really large-scale ...
- And this is only a part! It is impossible not to recall the adaptive sports festivals held at the VyatSU sportground and reflecting the research results of scientists of the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports. Unique programs of adaptive physical recreation and rehabilitation of people with disabilities were presented to the participants.
- The importance of such developments cannot be overestimated. What achievements in the humanities would you like to note?
- There are many of them, so it is rather difficult to identify several of them. Considering that we are talking about VyatSU as a flagship university in the region, let me remind you of the large-scale research work of linguists, the result of which is especially important for the region. I am referring to the 12-volume “Regional Dictionary of Vyatka Dialects”, which received the Kirov region award at the end of last year.
- Sergey Gennadievich, one of the blocks of the Program's activities is dedicated to the system of reproduction of scientific personnel. This is, in particular, about the “Postgraduate school 2.0”. Tell us more about it.
- We have provided postgraduate students with a wide range of opportunities: to work in a laboratory of interest outside our university, to improve their qualifications, to publish in a prestigious journal. All this is very important for a full-fledged research activity.
- Do you follow the development of student science?
- Sure! I am very glad that in recent years the Student Scientific Society of VyatSU has found a second wind! The work is very active, students show interest in science and show good results. We use different formats for holding events on scientific topics; therefore, we host not only conferences, but also scientific battles, and interesting expositions of the institute's SSS at big breaks. It is very cool when a student, “getting sick” with science while still studying at the bachelor's degree, continues his research in the master's degree, and then enters the postgraduate school. The young scientist of Vyatka State University has prospects for development: we are trying to create all conditions!
- Sergei Gennadievich, the topic of scientific research and innovation is extensive, it is impossible to discuss all aspects. At the same time, the conclusion is obvious: Vyatka State University coped with the tasks set successfully!
