Polytech Scientist Proposes AI Laboratory for Nuclear Energy Projects at the Eastern Economic Forum
The 11th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is currently underway in Vladivostok. This year’s main theme is «The Far East: Development for the Benefit of the People.» Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is represented at the forum by Khashayar Sadeghi, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Technosphere Safety and the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Power Engineering.
Speaking at the plenary session, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the Far East’s resource, industrial and logistics capabilities have grown significantly in recent years, laying a solid foundation for the next stage — the implementation of the updated Strategy for the Development of the Far Eastern Federal District through 2036. The President outlined the key tasks to be addressed and spoke about measures to support business and public initiatives. Speaking about the prospects for the development of science and innovation, Vladimir Putin instructed the Government to develop a dedicated programme to attract Russian and international scientists to the Far East.
«We are here on Russky Island, where an innovative science and technology centre operates — one of a whole network of such facilities in our country. Its focus is on applied solutions in information technology and biotechnology, biomedicine and other fields. It is important to create conditions for attracting both Russian specialists and foreign scientists and engineers — our friends — to such research centres and universities in the Far East, including by providing housing, relocation allowances and assistance to family members. I ask the Government to consider a dedicated programme to this end,»
Even before the forum officially opened, the issue of attracting talent for the technological development of the Far East was discussed at a meeting between Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, and engineers, entrepreneurs and scientists. Among the participants were international researchers who had chosen Russia to continue their academic careers, including Polytech Associate Professor Khashayar Sadeghi.
The main topics included creating favourable conditions for research teams, supporting specialists relocating to the Far East, and building teams to address specific challenges faced by technology companies that are residents of the Russky Innovation Scientific and Technological Centre.
The discussion continued as part of the main business programme of the Eastern Economic Forum at the session “A Green Corridor for Scientific Discoveries: How to Attract International Scientists and Engineers to the Far East.” The participants focused on several key issues: the role of universities in creating opportunities for international scientists; barriers to international academic mobility for foreign scientists and engineers; and digital solutions that could help minimise these barriers.
Opening the session, Alexander Vaino, Director of the Young Professionals programme at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, noted: “Today, countries compete not only for capital and technology, but also for the researchers and engineers who determine where the science of the future will be created. In this competition, what increasingly matters is not only salary and laboratory facilities, but also how quickly and easily a person can enter a country, obtain legal status, relocate their family and begin working. For the Far East, where large-scale scientific, technological and investment projects are being implemented, this issue is particularly pressing: the region needs world-class researchers, and the speed at which projects can be launched depends on how easy it is for them to enter the system.”
Denis Sekirinsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, spoke about the government support measures currently available to attract international scientists, how effectively these measures are being implemented in the Far Eastern regions, and the opportunities the Ministry sees for the development of scientific and technological projects in the Far Eastern Federal District.
“It would be more appropriate to speak not simply about attracting scientists to the Far East, but about attracting them to major and exciting projects,” Denis Sekirinsky said. “The region’s geography, climate and a number of unique characteristics determine a set of priorities that are also highly relevant to global science today. The resources of the world’s oceans and biotechnology offer a fantastic natural laboratory. Seismology and geothermal energy are particularly promising in Kamchatka. We would also like major thematic events to be connected with the locations where the relevant research is carried out. Clearly, issues of volcanology should be discussed not at conferences in Moscow and St Petersburg, but in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Vladivostok and Russky Island should become a centre for marine biology, because they are home to a remarkable oceanarium — not simply an entertainment facility, but a scientific and educational complex that is a branch of the A. V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology.”
Denis Sekirinsky also stressed that when discussing the attraction of international scientists, it is important not to overlook students, as they are the scientists of the future.
The discussion was also joined by Boris Korobets, Rector of Far Eastern Federal University; Elena Kharisova, CEO of the Russky Innovation Scientific and Technological Centre Development Fund; and Lyubov Shcherbakova, President of the Velfarm Group of Companies. Irina Korotkova, CEO of the Agency for Attracting Foreign Talent to Russia, spoke about the challenges faced by international scientists when relocating to and adapting to life in Russia.
Scientists Tarek Farouni from HSE University, Julijana Cvetinovic from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), and Polytech’s Khashayar Sadeghi shared their experiences.
The SPbPU Associate Professor emphasised that it is very important for international scientists to know that their challenges are understood at the government level and that there is a willingness to address them.
“A day before the forum, I visited the Science and Technology Centre in Vladivostok and saw how actively people are working there, how many resources are being invested in projects and what results have already been achieved,” the scientist said. “As a specialist in nuclear energy, I see great potential for implementing real projects in the Far East. The most important factor in attracting international scientists is a large-scale technological challenge — and there are plenty of such challenges in the Far East.”
Khashayar Sadeghi proposed establishing a laboratory for artificial intelligence and digital twins focused on advanced fields such as nuclear energy and nuclear power plant design. In his view, this could become an important step towards attracting talented researchers and building joint Russian-Iranian research teams.
Media Polytech
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