Basic Element Announces Creation of Scientific and Technical Centre

Basic Element announces the establishment of a Scientific-Technical Centre. In the very near future, the STC will begin introducing the latest advances by Russian and international scientists at more than 80 Basic Element enterprises and invest in developing the group’s own ideas and projects.

The decision to set up the Centre was taken in spring 2007, and by February of this year, the team was in place and ready to start work on several projects which had already been selected.

The STC will be led by Vladimir Yevstigneyev, who previously directed General Electric’s research centre in Russia. The staff at the Science and Technology Centre include not only scientific experts, but also financial specialists who have implemented research projects at leading Russian and international companies, such as the Soyuz Air-Engine Scientific and Technical Complex, the aircraft manufacturer MMPT Salyut, Airbus, Cargill, General Electric and 3M.

In the six months since the STC was set up, the staff have selected about ten developments from over 100 research projects proposed by the Russian Academy of Sciences and other Russian and international scientists.  

In choosing the projects, the STC staff focused on requests from Basic Element’s companies, but the heads of individual plants also put forward ideas. Special attention was accorded to projects which could be implemented in just 12-14 months from the assessment of the original idea to the production of a commercial prototype. 

These kinds of projects are mostly developments in areas such as the production of new types of building materials, technology for electricity generation using alternative sources and the manufacture of equipment which significantly reduces the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, such as hydrocarbon derivatives. The new equipment can reduce emissions of hydrogen sulphide by up to 90% and halve operational costs.

“As a rule, most scientific developments in major companies do not take much time and quickly pay for themselves. We are looking to implement our research at Basic Element’s enterprises in the next two to three years and start recovering our investment as quickly as possible. The Academy of Sciences will be a great help here,” said Vladimir Yevstigneyev, the head of Basic Element’s STC.  

The Russian Science Foundation at the Academy of Sciences provided active support in setting up the Centre. “One of the biggest tasks of the Foundation is to restore the link between fundamental science and Russian industry, which is expanding rapidly. Together with our colleagues from Basic Element, we have already set up research teams and received real funding for scientific and technological developments in a number of areas,” said Academician Nikolai Laverov, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Science Foundation. 

Another important task for the STC will be to centralise the procurement of technology for Basic Element’s companies and plants in Russia and abroad and to install automated management control systems.  

The second batch of projects to be presented to STC will involve developments in complex production engineering.