Three-day activities of MariNet completed in Kaliningrad
On 21-23 June 2017, MariNet working group of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) held a series of activities in Kaliningrad: regional conference, meeting of the sub-group on human capital development and engineering competition “Solar Regatta”. Continuous education – from school to maritime specialization – was in the focus of the activities. Expansion of the MariNet footprint is among the key factors of MariNet Working Group’s success, said Aleksandr Pinsky, deputy head of the Group.
Regional conference of MariNet
The conference in Kaliningrad was attended by representatives of companies, scientific organizations, institutions of higher education, entrepreneurs and specialist of the maritime industry interested in the development of high technologies in the maritime industry. Aleksandr Pinsky, deputy head of MariNet Working Group outlined key activities of MariNet, results of its activities and plans for the future.
The conference participants discussed different project of the region.
According to Aleksandr Pinsky, the format of on-site conferences of MariNet intended to attract participants and projects from different regions has become a tradition. It is a key factor of MariNet success, he added.
“Representatives of the entire country – from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad, from Tomsk to Simferopol – are involved in the work of MariNet today. That is the result of our conscious effort which we are going to continue. This year we have held events in Nizhny Novgorod, Tomsk, now it is being held in Kaliningrad with Novorossiysk planned by the end of the year”, emphasized Aleksandr Pinsky.
Meeting of the sub-group on human capital development
On July 21, the Kaliningrad State Technical University hosted the first meeting of the MariNet sub-group on human capital development.
The meeting began with video conference with Sirius Educational Centre (Sochi) where MariNet Working Group acted as partners and advisor during the project session dedicated to development of the global ocean. The project session gives students an opportunity to use what they learned to solve real-life challenges and carry out hands-on projects developed in cooperation with major universities and companies. The same day the participants of the project session presented their results to Russian President Vladimir Putin who visited the center.
Among the projects was a virtual model of a shipping company operation, modeling of a sea-surface drift of a floating facility, aquaculture, environmental monitoring of trans-border territories, advanced methods of sonar surveillance, evaluation of man-induced impact on Russian part of the Black Sea, computer technologies in unconventional shipbuilding.
Then the meeting considered new MariNet projects on human capital development. Two of them were approved for further consideration by MriNet Working Group: development of a simulator complex for modeling, designing and operation of trawling facilities as well as a pilot project on development of continuous education system in the interest of MariNet markets.
Regional phase of the Solar Regatta
MariNet activities in Kaliningrad were continued with the regional phase of the Solar Regatta, annual engineering competitions for student teams, which is among MariNet projects focused on attraction of young people and talent development in the maritime industry. This unique competition for the designs of boats on solar batteries lets the students put the knowledge learned through higher education into practice.
“The Solar Regatta engineering competition expands its footprint and the geography of its participants from year to year. In 2014, the competitions were held in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Vladivostok. Kaliningrad welcomed the Regatta for the first time. The competition gathered eight Russian and four European teams (Germany, Hungary)”, says Yevgeny Kazanov, President of the Solar Regatta Organisation Committee.
The display and the competition of the teams were held on July 22 on the Verhneye lake in Kaliningrad with the Kaliningrad State Technical University acting as the key partner organizing the engineering competition.
According to Yevgeny Kazanov, the competition demonstrates that involvement of alternative energy sources in our country is not a remote future but a reality.
The Kaliningrad State Technical University also hosted a competition for school children “Innovative Shipbuilding of XXI Century”. The digital platform of web-based interactive NBICS.NET laboratory was used by seven teams of 10 to 17 year old children from Kaliningrad and Chernyakhovsk to perform three interactive lessons and to offer their solutions for design and concept of vessels on solar batteries.
On July 23, the Solar Regatta was concluded with the annual sci-tech forum “Innovations, renewable energy and environmental prospects” which gathered representatives of educational institutions, scientific and commercial organizations as well as experts and enthusiasts of clean energy.
About NTI
RF President Vladimir Putin defined the National Technology Initiative (NTI) as one of the state policy priorities under the long-term programme of the Russian Federation to create conditions ensuring leadership of Russian companies in new markets of high technologies that will determine the global economy in the coming 15-20 years.
The MariNet roadmap of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) aimed at support and promotion of solutions and companies focused on ocean development technologies, digital navigation and innovative shipbuilding to the global market, was approved by the at the presidium of the RF President’s Council for Economic Modernization and Innovative Development of the Russian Federation on 16 October 2015. The MariNet Working Group numbers over 200 experts representing more than 60 companies, scientific centers and high education institutions from 15 regions of Russia as well as heads of ad hoc ministries and agencies.
Materials contributed to IAA PortNews by MariNet Working Group.
