On February 19, 2024, the Council for Grants for providing state support for organizing and developing Advanced Engineering Schools announced outcomes of allocating funds, based on results of the defenses of universities participating in the first wave of the project.

The Federal Project “Advanced Engineering Schools” is one of 42 Initiatives of the Government of the Russian Federation within the state program “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation”. Its goal is training highly qualified engineering personnel capable of ensuring the country to achieve technological sovereignty.

“Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has supported prolongation of the project focused on creating advanced engineering schools until 2030. Co-financing until 2026 will totally amount to about 60 billion rubles. Today, in the country, there are 30 advanced engineering schools, in 15 regions of Russia. Given popularity of the program among regions and industrial partners, the program has been expanded by the decision of the Prime Minister, with selection of 20 more schools. They will start working from the new academic year. Thus, the entire system of Advanced Engineering Schools will cover 50 universities in 23 Russian regions”, said Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

The Council meeting was chaired by Valery Falkov, Head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. According to the Minister, advanced schools of the first wave were launched a year and a half ago, and today it is possible to evaluate their work in dynamics.

“The first thing that is important to note is, of course, a completely different level of business engagement. There are now over 160 technology companies in the project, and I am sure they will only grow in their number. Last year, co-financing from the real sector amounted to 13.5 billion rubles, which is more than twice the amount invested in 2022. State funding also increases, and this year the first-wave schools gained 12.6 billion rubles, which is by 2.5 billion more than in the previous year. All this indicates interest and the highest trust on the part of the state and the business; this trust needs not only to be justified, but to show the highest results”, he said.
Samara University joined the project in 2022.

Over the past year, the Advanced Aerospace Engineering School (AAES) at Samara University not only met all the indicators set, but also exceeded most of them.

In 2023, the main result of the AAES activities was development of the digital factory concept and implementation of its principles on the base of cyber-physical factories established at the University.

The close connection with real production allowed the AAES to raise in 2023 211 million rubles for research and development in the interests of business.

New industrial partners joined the project: agreements were signed with JSC United Engine Corporation and JSC Aviakor – Aviation Plant.

In 2023, the number of students enrolled in the AAES increased from 70 to 250 people. The number of higher education programs also grew at a faster pace: 14 new educational programs have been developed.

The first graduation will take place this year: 75 engineers of the new formation, who studied under new programs and interned at real production facilities under mentors’ guidance, will start working at the enterprises of our industrial partners.

By the decision of the Council for Grants, Samara University’s Advanced Aerospace Engineering School will receive in 2024 financial support in the amount of 220.9 million rubles.

“Financing of the project from the federal budget was assumed to be over in the current year of 2024. Given these realities, we have been building the further development strategy for our Advanced Aerospace Engineering School. Extending the terms of grant support will help the School strengthen its position, material and technical base, and create conditions for its further development”, commented Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University.