Chuprunov Evgeniy Vladimirovich, the new rector of Nizhiy Novgorod State University (UNN), answers questions about strengthening science and engineering research education in Russia, international collaboration and related issues. Vladimirovich attended a conference held Oct. 20-21, 2008 in Nizhniy Novgorod to commemorate the 10th anniversary of CRDF's Basic Research and Higher Education (BRHE) program, which transforms and reinvigorates the training of young Russian scientists by strengthening the basic research capabilities of Russian universities.

Nizhniy Novgorod State University—home of the first Research and Education Center (REC) established in the BRHE program in 1998—hosted this year’s conference, which highlighted both BRHE's successes to date and plans for the coming years. The Nizhniy Novgorod State University REC for Physics of Solid-State Nanostructures is located in the Volgo-Vyatsky region in western Russia, building on the university's rich tradition of study of the physics and technology of solid state nanostructures

Q. What role does the internationalization of science and engineering higher education play in helping a country be technologically innovative and economically competitive?

A. There is no doubt that internationalization of science and education plays a very important role in helping the country to be technologically innovative and economically competitive.

First of all, internationalization of science and higher education provides opportunities for exchanging information at international conferences and seminars. Thereby, it is possible to take advantage of our colleagues’ experience and to spare our resources: we can reduce the costs by avoiding the duplication of research already done elsewhere. Besides, we can avoid the unnecessary search for educational forms that have probably been already tested and adopted by someone else. It is also an opportunity to purchase modern scientific equipment and technologies, which, combined with the innovative approach, will help to make the Russian science economically competitive.

Q. In your opinion, how do young scientists benefit from the strengthening of basic research at Russian universities?

A. As the level of fundamental science in Russian universities grows, young scientists are more in demand at leading research and educational centers. These young people become more competitive in the world market of research staff.

Q. Please discuss the Technology Transfer Office that has been established in your host university. What role do such offices play in helping the participating institutions become modern research universities?

A. The main result of the establishment and operation of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at UNN is a clear understanding of the need to form at the university a system for the management of the processes of creating, identifying and  providing legal protection for the results of intellectual work  and  transfer of technologies. This system must be adequate to the modern conditions.

One should note the TTO’s significant contribution to the development and introduction of the above-mentioned management system and internal normative acts for ensuring its operation. Besides, the TTO has contributed to the stimulation and support of innovation processes not only at the university, but also in the Volga Federal District.

Q. How are the network of collaborations and contacts established through the BRHE program strengthening the host universities capabilities?

A. The plan for the development of external linkages of the Research and Education Center (REC) within the framework of the BRHE program included:
- Attracting leading researchers from Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) institutes and other universities to the teaching  process, organizing invited lectures focused on research subjects of REC in the field of scanning probe microscopy and the physics of solid-state nanostructures;
- Creating research collaborations with RAS institutes (involving graduate and Ph.D. students), with the aim of joint planning, conducting research and developing the mechanisms for the shared use of research equipment;
- Creating research collaborations with foreign universities.

In the above-named areas, we can regard the following developments as the main positive results of the BRHE program:
- At the UNN Faculty of Physics, all the necessary conditions have been formed for the organization of the teaching process centered on the subjects of research performed at REC. A new specialization – the physics of solid-state nanostructures -- was opened for the training of diploma specialists (bachelors and masters), followed by a new area of studies, nanotechnology in electronics;
- UNN has a modern experimental base, methodological instructional materials  necessary for the development of the teaching process, and young employees actively engaged in research and teaching work;
- Research collaborations have been formed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the U.S. (Dr. T.G. Nieh), the Physico-Technical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus (Minsk), the Intel Corporation and the Physics Center of the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. In the framework of the European program FP-6, contacts with some foreign scientific partners have been established: Prof. Rasit Turan, Middle East Technical University (Turkey); Prof. Lorenzo Pavesi, Dipartimento di Fisica, University of Trento (Italy); Prof. Terje Finstad, University of Oslo (Norway); Prof. Zsolt Horváth, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science (Hungary), and some others. Organizational work is currently underway to set up the international center for professional training in the field of nanotechnologies with Penn State's NSF Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Center:  Regional Center for Nanofabrication Manufacturing Education.

Thus, the external linkages established in the framework of the BRHE program have contributed significantly to the enhancement of the university’s general level both in research and in the field of education, i.e., the development of some educational programs of current importance.

 

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