South-East Finland-Russia ENPI CBC 2007-2013 was concluded, New ENI CBC 2014-2020 program was launched

The final meeting of the South-East Finland-Russia Border Collaboration program in Angleterre hotel’s conference hall on April 15 was attended by more than 200 guests. At the meeting, the program’s participants were greeted by Finland’s Consular in Saint-Petersburg Maarit Keitanen, as well as by the Russian Ministry of Economy and Development Regional and Border Cooperation Department deputy director Vladimir Kuchiev, Saint-Petersburg Foreign Affairs Committee senior deputy Igor Lonskiy, and the chairman of the Leningrad oblast Foreign Relations Committee Andrey Minin. On behalf of Finnish regional governments, the head of South Karelia region Matti Viilainen, the head of Southern Savonia region Pentti Miakinen and Kymenlaakso Regional Council International Cooperation Director Tony Vanhala shared their opinions on the implemented projects.

The general tone of every speech suggested that the parties were mutually satisfied with the program’s results. Many speakers made remarks on the high value of such programs for establishing direct cooperation on a regional and municipal level, and mentioned the importance of the implemented projects for both global research and regional practical purposes, such as social and humanitarian improvements. The representatives from Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad oblast Administrations and the Ministry of Economic Development assured that both Russian Federal government and regional administrations are paying close attention to such programs and are interested in the success of border collaboration projects. Close communication and interaction between people, local companies and regions are the most effective ways of achieving the goals set. ‘The border is what unites us’, - one of the speakers summarized.

55 projects within 4 major areas were implemented by Russia and Finland before the 2007-2013 Border Collaboration program was concluded:

• Economic development – 21 projects • Common problems: border crossing and environment – 18 projects • Social development and civil society – 8 projects • Large-scale reconstruction projects – 8 projects

Also among the participants of the closing event were Polytechnic University’s International Desks representatives and the University’s key ENPI project coordinators:

• Prof. Victor V. Elistratov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored power engineer of the Russian Federation, director of research and education center ‘Renewable Energy Sources and Their Application in Power Plants’ in SPBPU • Prof. Yuriy R. Nurulin, Doctor of Technical Sciences, director of Saint-Petersburg Innovation Development in Science and Education Coordination Center, winner of Saint-Petersburg Government Prize, nominated for innovation development in an educational facility • Inga V. Skvortsova, PhD in economics, Associate Professort, scientific secretary of Economy and Management in Power Engineering Department of SPBSTU, winner of Saint-Petersburg government contest ‘Business woman – 2012’, nominated for innovative business achievements

Russian and foreign partners of Polytechnic University played a major role in the process of creating consortia and implementing each of the projects, most notably, Kumenlaakso University of Applied Sciences and Lappeenranta University of Technology, which was a partner on four projects.

Polytechnic University explored every opportunity provided by the program to develop international cooperation. Working jointly with Russian and foreign academic Universities, industrial companies and regional authorities helped to find new common grounds. This allowed us to solve practical problems, such as the problems of efficient renewable energy sources use and development of the early innovative development support system, including specialist training aimed at young entrepreneurs.

The closing meeting of the 2007-2013 program also officially commenced the new ENI – European Neighborhood Instrument program for 2014-2020.

Spokesperson for South-East Finland-Russia Border Collaboration Program Committee Tutti Lankinen announced new plans to coordinate the new program’s mechanisms for the near future, as well as the approximate dates of processing new applications.

The success of the implemented international projects and a wide network of foreign partners in Finland allow the Polytechnic University to establish the consortia and plan new projects under 2014-2020 period. Our partners in Finland, including leading universities, are ready for interaction, admitting a key role of the Polytechnic University in the North-West region of Russia.

The Office of International cooperation of the Polytechnic University is planning to hold a ENPI-ENI InfoDay - an information workshop for the university staff and our foreign partners from Finland, where more information about the new program will be announced and the participation of SPbPU in the previous ENPI program will be highlighted.

For more information about the ENPI, ENI programs and other international programs of funds contact us at the international service of SPbPU by tel. 324-0644 or by mail  ss.antonov@spbstu.ru, k.belyaevskaya@spbstu.ru, anton.evdokimov@spbstu.ru

Open INNO - an open innovative service for new businesses, 2012-2014:

1. . Open INNO - an open innovative service for new businesses, 2012-2014
   Project Manager is Y.R. Nurulin. The purpose of the project is to develop, test and launch an open ecosystem for the interregional cooperation aimed at young entrepreneurs. The project developed a technique of open innovation, held training seminars for young innovators from St. Petersburg and Finland, and worked out principles for open innovation infrastructure based on the BusinessOasisNetwork model.

2. BLESK - Block "Energy" Effective use of alternative and renewable energy sources in the border regions, 2011-2014
   Project Manager at SPbPU is prof. V.V. Yelistratov, "Renewable Sources of Energy". The project stipulates the development of international cooperation between Finnish and Russian organizations in the field of renewable energy. As part of the "Wind power" section, a potential wind power of the Leningrad region was estimated based on actual field measurements of wind flow, and a feasibility study for the first wind farm in the Leningrad region was carried out. “Bioenergy" section provided a feasibility study of the construction of the power plant using biogas of landfill deposits in the village Novoselki in the Leningrad region.

3. "Innovation and business cooperation", 2011-2014
   Project Manager at SPbPU is Y.R. Nurulin. The purpose of the project is to strengthen cooperation between universities in the field of education, research and development, to support the companies introducing innovation and provide them with additional opportunities in the form of specially designed products and services and to encourage the new services at the level of interaction between governments and companies of both countries.

4. «EFEM» - Efficient energy management, 2012-2014 
   Project Manager at SPbPU is Y.R. Nurulin. The project solves the problem of energy efficiency in residential and public buildings in St. Petersburg of 1950-80 construction period (schools, kindergartens, hospitals, residential buildings). In the framework of the project it was planned to develop new tools to increase energy efficiency, durability and to improve indoor climate and living standards.

5. ISS - The development of social services in St. Petersburg and Imatra, 2011-2013
   Project Manager at SPbPU is Y.R. Nurulin. The main objective of the project was to provide citizens with an easy access to e-government and public services through the development and introduction of a new user-friendly web-based tool. The project implied a detailed study of social services and formal procedures in Russia and Finland, an interaction between Finnish and Russian regional authorities with the purpose to introduce Russian institutions with the most successful techniques and practices applied abroad

The material is prepared by SPbPU media center