OREANDA-NEWS. During the meeting of the Coordination council headed by the Governor of the Yaroslavl region, the projects and initiatives comprising the program of development of the “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” innovative territorial cluster were approved conjointly with a review of the items concerning the development of the cluster's territorial infrastructure and the strategic opportunities for the Rybinsk-based “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” cluster facilitated by NPO Saturn in charge of coordinating the cluster's activities.

As a result of the Coordination council's session, the following resolutions have been adopted:

• to enter the “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” cluster into the list of regulations on the clusters development in the Yaroslavl region;

• to recommend to the Government of the Yaroslavl region to use in its subsequent work the Program of the cluster development and ratify the following program-driving projects:

• creation of an industrial park for the small-to-medium businesses;

• creation of a technology transfer center;

• development of collective-use centers dedicated to the issues of structural integrity, “Prospective materials” and “Aerospace thermophysics and power engineering” with providing common access to the research and technology equipment for carrying out comprehensive studies and development by the small-sized innovative companies operating in the field of research and technology;

• development of the Kopaevo industrial park;

• development of a training and re-qualification system for the design, production engineering and managerial cadre;

• creation of a managing non-profit organization which would facilitate the cluster's organizational development.

In addition to the aforementioned resolutions, some decisions were made on facilitating the inclusion of the projects of creating an engineering, transport and social infrastructure on the territory of the prospective living districts Pribrezhnyi and Puzyrevo into the federal target programs with the funding allocated by the regional and municipal budgets which would provide with accommodation the engineers working in the cluster.

Emphasizing the importance of the program-driving projects, the head of the Rybinsk city district Yuriy Lastochkin underlined that the cluster would require an in-depth upgrade of the vocational-engineering training system as well as the creation of super-modern vocational schools. The head of Rybinsk reminded the attendees that an NPO Saturn-based training center had already been built to serve that cause, but that was not sufficient to accommodate the needs of all the local companies.

Following the results of an ensuing discussion, the First Deputy Governor - Chairman of the Yaroslavl Regional Government Alexander Knyazkov instructed the Department of education together with the Rybinsk City Hall and key cluster organizations, no later than by 15.11.2013, to come up with proposals on creating a vocational-engineering training center to cater to the educational needs of the “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” cluster.

The “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” innovative cluster is a group of leading companies in the world aerospace industry uniting NPO Saturn, Safran (France) and other companies sharing the cluster's values, the strategic development of which would not be possible without the realization of industrial outsourcing programs, work-sharing in the field of research and development not mentioning the joint, world-class training programs.

For instance, in 2014 NPO Saturn will be in a position to outsource all its non-core activities and a certain volume of the previously in-house production worth over 500 million rubles and to realize a number of projects through the created collective-use centers worth over 21 million rubles in collaboration with the local small-to-medium innovative companies.

According to Ilya Fedorov, NPO Saturn chief executive officer, chairman of the cluster's board of directors, chairman of the Yaroslavl regional branch of the Russian Union of Mechanical Engineers, “the development of a modern, high-tech company is impossible without the accumulation of the intellectual and industrial capabilities of the neighbor cities, the population centers of the region. The international experience shows that the growth in sales of the cluster companies is directly linked to the development of the territorial competences coupled with the innovative and engineering infrastructure.

The development strategy of the key companies within the cluster is based on an assumption that the volume of the outsourcing programs both in the industrial and R&D fields with the participation of the region's small-to-medium businesses will grow every year.”

In closing of the cluster Coordination council's session, the Head of the Yaroslavl Regional Government Alexander Knyazkov instructed the concerned departments in the regional government to provide feedback on the ratified projects of the cluster development program and prepare the necessary documentation for submittal to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation by 15 November with a subsequent re-submittal to the Yaroslavl regional government for approval no later than by 15 December 2013.

The next session of the Coordination council headed by the Governor of the Yaroslavl region on the development of the “Gas turbine machinery and power engineering” cluster is slated for February 2014.

NPO Saturn Research and Production Association (OJSC) is an engine-building company specialized in the design and development, production and after-market support of gas turbine engines for military and civil aviation, Navy boats and power-generating plants and gas-pumping units. NPO Saturn is part of the United Engine Corporation.

The United Engine Corporation (OJSC) is a subsidiary of OBORONPROM UIC (OJSC). The UEC structure integrates over 85% of Russia's leading companies specialized in the design and development, serial production and after-market support of gas turbine machinery, as well as the key enterprises - the industry's integral players. One of the UEC's prioritized fields of activity is the implementation of comprehensive programs of development of the companies in the industry by introducing the world-class new technologies.

OBORONPROM United Industrial Corporation (OJSC) is a multi-field machine-building group created in 2002. It is part of Rostec. The main fields of activity are helicopter building (the Russian Helicopters holding), engine building (the UEC holding) and other assets.

Rostekhnologii State Corporation (Rostec) is a Russian corporation established in 2007 in order to facilitate the development, manufacturing and export of high-technology industrial products of military and civil purposes. Today it comprises over 663 companies, which form 8 military-industrial and 5 civil industry holdings. Rostec's subsidiaries are located in 60 regions of Russia and supply their products to over 70 countries worldwide. In 2012 revenues of the Corporation amounted to RUB 931 billion, net profits were RUB 38.5 billion and total taxation exceeded RUB 109 billion.