Nano- and microsatellites, budget electric cars, underwater robotics, new types of lubricants and many other developments, ideas and startups were presented at the “Industrial high-tech and space” section of the “Sikorsky Challenge” Festival. Representatives of high-tech companies, investment and venture funds, investors and entrepreneurs met with scientists, asked questions, planned future cooperation. In fact, this was the main mission of the Festival: to initiate a direct and open dialogue between scientists and business.
During the panel discussion “Ukraine’s opportunities for innovative breakthrough in the sphere of industrial high-tech and outer space”, its participants stressed that the Festival is a great opportunity to look ahead, to determine which areas are the most interesting for business, which areas of science can become the “locomotive” of State development. And what obstacles hinder this development.
Andriy Fialkovsky, a representative of the “Progrestech-Ukraine” Engineering Company, noted in particular, that both the market and higher education institutions now suffer from the fact that engineering education is not popular enough among applicants. Meanwhile, it offers great opportunities for students and graduates, because there is a catastrophic shortage of engineers in the labor market, and their salary can be compared with the salary of IT professionals.
“HIGHLIGHT” THE INITIATIVE
Public institutions can also help to uphold innovation in education. Serhiy Shkurakov, Chairman of the Board of the State Innovative Financial and Credit Institution, said that one of the most important tasks of the Institution is to create platforms for the science and business interaction. “Our task is to help inventors and startups,” – Mr. Shkurakov said. – “In order to interest entrepreneurs, the inventor needs to present his/her invention, idea or project. The mission of the Institution is to “highlight” these initiatives.”
In July this year, the State Innovative Financial and Credit Institution signed a memorandum with Kyiv Polytechnic on the implementation of promising developments. “The decision was also made to finance the pre-investment preparation of the winning projects of the Sikorsky Challenge Festival in the strategic areas of industry and defense-industrial complex,” – Serhiy Shkurakov added.
SPEAK ONE LANGUAGE
The current state of cooperation between science and production was also analyzed by Igor Lentsov, Vice-Rector for Research at Pryazovia State Technical University.
– When the measure of scientific success is the Hirsch index, it is a big problem, – Mr. Lentsov said.
– Scientists often conduct research, publish articles and believe that they have achieved the result. But does business read these articles? No. In addition, we speak different languages: during presentations, scientists try to give entrepreneurs a complex scientific lecture. The entrepreneurs listen for a few minutes and leave. So, it’s time to master the art of bright short pitches and build a bridge between business and academics.
Igor Lentsov is convinced that students should undergo basic training in innovative entrepreneurship while studying at a higher education institution. Then, after graduation from the HEI, they will not feel helpless, they will know how to promote and implement their ideas.
The scientist gave two eloquent examples. One of his colleagues spent many years researching processes in blast furnaces, trying to communicate with business, but did not find funds to implement the results of the research. “Recently, I simply took him by the hand and accompanied to the CEO of an enterprise, and in 15 minutes the CEO came to the conclusion that the enterprise desperately needs this development,” – Mr. Lentsov said.
The entrepreneur did not immediately agree to pay the market price for the development (one million hryvnias), but after signing the contract, six months later the know-how brought the company a profit of 45 million.
The second example is also about activity. The city of Mariupol, where the University is located, is situated on the sea shore. The waves constantly cast algae ashore and wash them back into the sea. The algae decompose, negatively affecting the recreation area and the aquatic environment.
For 25 years, scientists of two departments of the University have been studying this problem, they have many publications. A year ago, a first-year girl-student in two months (not without the help of research supervisors, of course) made an algae based fertilizer for agriculture. And now there is a queue of customers asking for this fertilizer.
– Our scientists are not stupider than Western ones! – Mr. Lentsov says. – But the gap between business and inventors needs to be filled. Startup-schools, incubators, clusters can do it.
According to the moderator of the discussion, co-Chair of the International Jury Mykola Kyzym, science and industrial parks can also help solve this problem. Moreover, the CEOs of large enterprises should think about creating departments that would deal with implementation of scientific developments.
GOOD BRAINS AND FINANCING
After the panel discussion, the finalists of the “Industrial High-Tech and Outer Space” section presented their ideas, startups and developments to the Jury.
Before the presentations, Andriy Nikolayenko, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, stressed that high technology is a chance to get out of the difficult economic situation in the country. “The development of these technologies requires two components: good brains (and we have them) and funding,” – the MP said.
Mr. Nikolayenko worked in South Korea for several years, then supervised cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in the Ukrainian government. He said that South Korea has special programs and huge funding, but still cannot make some of the discoveries that exist in Ukraine. “They need our technologies!”, – Mr. Nikolayenko emphasized.
He also said that there is a Ministry of Science, Technology and the Future in South Korea that predicts and “constructs” the future. Nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, robotics and space are considered to be the drivers of the country’s development in the future.
According to Mr. Nikolayenko, Ukraine also has every chance to start a new space future. To do this, it is necessary to correctly define priorities and provide appropriate funds for the financing of Ukrainian outer space.
CONVERT CARS INTO ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The project-finalists presented during the Festival, are really interesting and ambitious. One of them is “Broccolicar”, it proposes to convert all cars on the planet into budget electric cars. Project manager Volodymyr Haponyuk says that the startup team has developed a universal unit that reduces the cost of re-equipping the car by 2-3 times.
– Tesla offers to convert any car into an electric car for 8, 5 thousand dollars, and we – for 4, 5 – Mr. Haponyuk proudly emphasized.
At the moment, the startup needs additional investment, inventors need funds to create a prototype and conduct tests.
FOR EXTREME TEMPERATURES
Another promising project is “TechOil”, it offers new lubricants for a wide variety of applications. They “work” well even in extreme conditions (at 240 degrees Celsius!), they are resistant to washing-out, and reduce equipment wear. As explained by Svitlana Konovalova, associate professor of the Department of Chemistry and Occupational Safety of the Donetsk State Mechanical Engineering Academy, today oil compositions for different operating conditions have been developed, utility model patents have been obtained and materials for getting the patent for the invention have been prepared.
Lubricants were tested at the Kryvyi Rih Metallurgical Plant and demonstrated very good results.
Next, it is needed to determine the most desired type of lubricant on the market, develop and register the technical conditions for this product, obtain a patent for the invention, start production and sales. To do this, the team needs business help.
To obtain test batches, the inventors propose to use the base of their higher education institution – Donetsk State Engineering Academy, which is located in Kramatorsk.
RENEW SATELLITES LIKE SMARTPHONES!
The greatest interest during the presentations was quite predictably aroused to the space projects of Igor Sikorsky KPI. And this is not surprising, because the first University nanosatellite “PolyITAN-1” launched in 2014, has been operating in orbit for seven years. This confirms the reliability and efficiency of Kyiv Polytechnic technologies.
Rector of the University Michael Zgurovsky said that several startups are near completion today. “We want Ukraine to have modern satellites in orbit in the nearest future, which would perform both defense and civilian tasks,” Mr. Zgurovsky stressed. “They are the “eyes” of Ukraine in orbit.”
In particular, nanosatellite PolyITAN-30 designed for panoramic probing of the Earth is at the final stage of development. The spacecraft is named in honor of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, we want to launch it into orbit this fall.
According to Vitaliy Pasichnyk, Vice-Rector for Research at KPI, the device has an optical scanner with a spatial resolution of up to thirty meters and weighs about three kilograms. Its advantages are its low weight and dimensions, low cost of launching into orbit, solving the problem of space debris, and short development time (1-2 years). Its service life varies from several months to several years.
– If we compare nanosatellites weighing 1-3 kilograms and traditional ones, the former are much more profitable, – Mr. Pasichnyk explained.
– It is better to launch many inexpensive devices into space, create data processing systems and periodically replace devices. It is needed to renew satellites as we renew smartphones!
According to him, the market of nano- and microsatellite development demonstrates rapid growth, and in the future these “babies” will be most in demand. They can be used in the military and civilian spheres, in the private sector.
3.5 million hryvnias have already been spent on the development and construction of the device, another 3 million hryvnias are needed to complete it, and 3.5 million hryvnias are needed to launch it into space.
Another satellite of Kyiv Polytechnic, PolyITAN-12 U, is near completion. According to Yuriy Sydorenko, Head of the University’s Research Department, the device is designed for remote sensing of the Earth. Compared to world and national counterparts, the cost and weight of this spacecraft is an order of magnitude lower with the same or better resolution characteristics. For example, the resolution of the satellite is 2-4 m compared with 7-8 m of the domestic device Sich 2-1, and the payload is 4 kilograms against 170.
Today, Ukraine needs space images with a spatial resolution of up to two meters. Among other things needed in, these images will help to quickly monitor the movement of enemy troops in the East of the country.
A lacquer coating for radiation protection of the equipment (this is the know-how of the University, which is planned to be tested in space), a light-absorbing coating based on graphene nanotubes, etc. are among the advantages of the device.
The third space project of Kyiv Polytechnic, presented at the Festival, is a group of microsatellites for remote sensing of the Earth which have high spatial resolution. The group of devices should include 6 satellites of the “micro” class, their task is to monitor the Earth’s surface with a resolution of 0.5 meters. Today, only a few leading countries of the world manufacture such systems!
Serhiy Pukha, Head of the Laboratory at the Institute of Physics and Technology of Igor Sikorsky KPI, said that the advantages of the device are its own unique technology of optical mirrors and the possibility to manufacture all components of the system at national enterprises. Six satellites from the group will be able to photograph the intended area every four hours (rather than once a day).
3.5 million hryvnias have already been spent on the project, 500 million hryvnias are needed for its completion, and 450 million hryvnias are needed for launching satellites into space.
At the end of the section, Volodymyr Taftay, Head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, wished the participants success and stated that science fiction, which is so vividly described in books, actually takes place here and now. “The projects presented at the Forum will help change the world and “construct the future”, – Volodymyr Taftay said.
Svitlana GALATA, “Svit” newspaper, № 31 -32, August 2021