The signing of the concession agreement to create a modern university campus took place on 12 August. Maksim Oreshkin, Aide to the President, Andrey Nikitin, Governor of the Novgorod Region, and Airat Gatiyatov, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, attended the event.
The document was signed by Anna Timofeeva, Deputy Chairwoman of the Novgorod Region Government, and Artur Ayupov, Director General of the Novgorod SEZ.
“With the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the State Government, construction of the 4,000-student campus will begin 18 months ahead of schedule. Construction work will be under way this year. The concession agreement implies that the region will fully meet its obligations. This really matters, as we are talking about our future engineers, soft scientists and archaeologists. This is a very big step for our science and culture as well,” Andrey Nikitin pointed out.
Airat Gatiyatov praised the regional team’s strong commitment to implementing the federal project aimed at creating a network of university campuses. He also emphasised its importance to the region, the University and the wider higher education system.
“Campus construction will be supported by at least 6 billion roubles from the federal budget. Overall, we estimate the project to be worth over 10 billion roubles. We see a great impetus for the development of Novgorod University, which is a flagship university, in the conditions that have now been created. We see what we will get as a result of the work. I would like to thank the governor of the Novgorod region, Maksim Oreshkin, and the presidential administration for their continued project support. As for us, we will always support such efforts of the regions,” Airat Gatiyatov said.
The concession agreement sets out the rights and obligations of the parties regarding the forthcoming works.
“Today we signed a document that clearly sets out all the financial commitments. The region will allocate at least 900 million roubles. The SEZ management Company, which acts as the concessionaire, plans to borrow 3.5 billion roubles. We are committed to building everything on time. Once the project is completed, the students will enjoy a comfortable place to live with full infrastructure. Naturally, the modern campus will be a staging ground for the training of workers who will be employed by our residents in the Novgorod SEZ. Ultimately, our task is to create five thousand jobs in the SEZ by 2030,” Artur Ayupov said.
According to Yury Borovikov, President of Novgorod State University, the national Science and Universities Project that will see the campus built, together with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, offers Novgorod University a unique opportunity to consolidate its position as a leader in higher education in the Northwest and throughout the country.
“Today, the booming growth of the university requires a social infrastructure, an infrastructure for the creativity and development of students in science, sports and other areas. A priority regional project called University City was launched some time ago by Governor Andrey Nikitin. This is a very impressive contribution to the project promotion, where the city, the region and the university develop in perfect harmony, offering together much more than they could offer separately. The campus will be a harmonious part of the urban fabric. It will be located in the city centre, just 300 metres from the complex of Novgorod University main buildings. Thus, the efforts underway to improve the area adjacent to the campus, under the direct leadership of the President of the Republic, are a clear indication of the importance of the campus to the city,” Yuri Borovikov said.
It is worth mentioning that the Novgorod Region’s requisition for construction of a campus was approved by the Russian Government last December. The complex will comprise five buildings. As well as residential units, it will include a science park, co-working space, gym, swimming pool, shops and car parking. The multi-purpose building will also have a usable roof with an area for relaxed pastime.
14 августа 2023 11:56:00
