SPbPU remains a key player in South-East Finland-Russia CBC

11 January 2018 International activities 1662

In the course of the meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee of the ENI CBC Program 2014-2020 South-East Finland-Russia Cross-Border Cooperation 10 project proposals were selected for the funding. A total of 51 applications were submitted, five of which were sent by the Polytechnic University. SPbPU projects are the result of multidisciplinary research work involving the research teams in various fields (starting from business processes and management to construction technologies, green energy technologies, etc.).

SPbPU participation in the second qualifying round was already a victory for the University, since according to the European statistics the successful result is the approval of one project out of every five applications submitted. In case of this competition, SPbPU even exceeded the "norm" of success - the European Commission supported two of our projects at the same time!

"Our research teams in cooperation with foreign partners demonstrate a cohesive teamwork, every year expanding its presence in the international research space", as Dmitry ARSENIEV, SPbPU Vice-Rector for International Relations commented.

SPbPU remains a key player in South-East Finland-Russia CBC

One of the winners was Green ReMark Project aimed at creating a favorable innovation climate (ecosystem) in the region that stimulates energy saving and the introduction of "green" technologies in the energy, utilities, transport and other key industries. It was submitted by the staff of SPbPU Higher School of Industrial Management and Economics. Among Finnish partners there is South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) and region development company Mikkeli Oy. It is important to note that in this project SPbPU will play the role of the leading partner, coordinator of the entire international consortium, which emphasizes the level of trust and recognition of our university by the European Commission and the CBC Program Committee.

The second winner project is SUSTECH "Light Hybrid Wood Materials for Sustainable Construction Technology". It was submitted in a consortium with SPbPU strategic partner Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) with the participation of an industrial partner ZAO "Research and Technology Center of Applied Nanotechnologies". The goal of the project is the development and implementation of innovative wood-based composites technology, as well as the development of architectural projects and structures with the use of these composites in urban and rural areas of Russia and Finland, including the development of ecotourism in the Veps Forest Reserve.

Approval of SPbPU applications in the competition of projects is not accidental. SPbPU has an extensive experience of participating in various Cross-Border Cooperation programs since the 1990s. This experience is due to the years of established relations with partners from the Nordic countries. In the previous cycle of South-East Finland-Russia Program ENPI CBC 2007-2013, SPbPU was one of the leading participants, implementing 5 projects out of 55.

SPbPU remains a key player in South-East Finland-Russia CBC
SPbPU remains a key player in South-East Finland-Russia CBC

At the moment, Polytech is building up capabilities. The approved two projects are not the first in the framework of the current CBC Program 2014-2020. Another SPbPU project was approved in the framework of the first round held in the spring of 2017. The project "Energy Efficient Systems Based on Renewable Energy Sources for Arctic Conditions (EFREA)" starts in 2018 and will be implemented in a consortium with long-time SPbPU partners - Lappeenranta University of Technology and Central Research Institute of Construction Materials "Prometheus". The aim of the project is to research and disseminate knowledge in the field of renewable energy production in Arctic regions, welding technologies and structural materials for the production of energy structures and installations, as well as to develop guidelines, recommendations and training materials on the implementation of light non-volatile, reliable, environmentally safe and cost-effective constructions capable of operating at extreme temperatures in Arctic and other isolated areas.

However this is not the final step of the Program. The deadlines for submitting applications for the third and fourth parts are, respectively, in March and June 2018. To prepare high quality applications for the following competitions SPbPU international services are ready to use all our experience and do our best to interact with research groups and to help with finding partners.


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