Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering has begun active cooperation with TechnoNIKOL, a leading Russian manufacturer of roofing, waterproofing and thermal insulation materials. Founded in 1992, today the company unites more than 70 factories, seven research departments, representative offices and training centers throughout the country.

As part of the developing partnership, a delegation from SPbGASU went on an off-site tour to one of the company’s largest facilities – the Technoflex TechnoNIKOL bitumen roll materials plant in Vyborg.

The delegation included First Vice-Rector Svetlana Golovina, Vice-Rector for Research Evgeny Korolev, heads of faculties, Head of the Division for Organization of Educational Activities Oksana Shutova, Head of the Interdepartmental Laboratory Sergey Bezpalchuk, and teachers.

The visit program included a tour of production facilities, a materials quality control laboratory, and a discussion of prospects for joint scientific and educational projects.

"TechnoNIKOL is one of the key suppliers of construction materials in Russia. In a number of positions, its market share reaches 93%. The Vyborg plant is the oldest enterprise of the company. It has a modern technological base, includes elements of robotics and uses neural networks to assess the quality of products. Having their own engineering base allows to effectively replace foreign technologies with domestic developments," said Andrey Nikulin, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

The company actively cooperates with educational institutions, providing opportunities for industrial excursions, internships and practices, as well as implementing projects in the areas of mentoring, entrepreneurship and project-based learning. This creates a solid foundation for further partnership with SPbGASU.

The trip was organised by the Centre for Student Entrepreneurship and Career at our university with the aim of strengthening ties with industrial partners and learning about advanced technologies in the production of building materials.

The event allowed participants not only to become familiar with modern production processes, but also to expand their understanding of the possibilities of practice-oriented training and interaction with industrial partners.