Sarov, one of Russia’s largest centers for nuclear research, is heading for diversification. The federal government is considering drawing upon the solid scientific ecosystem of the city, 460km east of Moscow, to create a major hub for IT and cyber security research.
A leading nuclear weapons design area in the USSR that did not appear on unclassified maps and was known only as “Arzamas-16” between 1946 and 1991, Sarov is now a city of 90,000 and home to a nuclear research entity known in the West as VNIIEF. Its achievements in the IT field were acknowledged by Nikolai Nikiforov, the minister of Telecom and Mass Communications, during a visit to the city in late March.
Telecom minister Nikolai Nikiforov during his visit to Sarov Technopark last week. (Photo credit: Sarov Technopark)
The foundation for Sarov’s renewed and enhanced IT capability will be the Sarov Technopark, which was set up to commercialize VNIIEF’s civilian research products through the creation of a number of multi-sector engineering companies.
This active R&D facility has developed competencies in cyber security; supercomputing and big data; automation and hardware-software complex development; laser technologies; alternative energy; new materials; new medical equipment; and power engineering.
Minister Nikiforov hopes to make VNIIEF and the technopark a hub capable of sending commercially viable solutions to customers around the world.
Sources: Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, Sarov Technopark
