MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/ Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), Skolkovo Moscow School of Management, and New Economic School (NES) have endorsed an agreement on creating the Skolkovo Educational Center.
The deal was sealed at the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi.
Sokltech’s provost and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Kuleshov, Skolkovo business school president, Andrey Sharonov, and NES provost, Shlomo Veber, were signatories to the agreement, Skoltech’s press service reported.
"In my opinion, modern Russia is in dire need of highly-qualified and well-educated professionals who are capable not only of understanding business trends in Russia, but also around the entire world," Skoltech’s provost stressed.
"Without any doubts, a clever physicist, engineer or biologist can master management and economics on a modest scale which would be needed if the individual was a group leader of a research community and set his sights on establishing a larger enterprise in the field in the future. As the popular phrase goes: "This isn’t a quantum mechanics, I’ll learn it, if needed!" The main problem is that the principle "Let's start, and later we will figure it out!" very often leads to ingenious ideas falling apart, frustration, and investment losses, thereby bringing down and harming our country’s technological development. So in conclusion, we should work together!" Kuleshov asserted.
In his turn, Sharonov has noted that "according to global experience, successful business communities are always established as a result of fusing together several professional findings: novel technologies, entrepreneurial approaches, and an understanding of global macroeconomic processes."
"This is exactly what we want to gain thanks to the cooperation between our three institutions. We anticipate that the synergy of educational establishments and various proficiencies will generate a pronounced impact in the coming years. Our goal is to establish an educational environment in the Skolkovo Center where knowledge and research will find practical applications that will ultimately energize the development of our country’s scientific and business ecosystem," Sharonov elaborated.
Particular attention will be paid to the joint development of infrastructure, web communication, and maintaining a single community of students, professors, and alumni. Upon creating the new educational programs, Skolkovo Educational Center is planning to intensively apply e-learning and distance learning technologies. As a part of the collaborative project, top Russian and foreign professors will be involved in the educational process. In addition, the business activities will be directed by a specially established coordination board.