Irkutsk aspires to the status of the intellectual capital of Siberia - the Russian government has approved the establishment of an inter-university campus. Two years ago, industrialist Oleg Deripaska suggested that Irkutsk rely on students and science: "You have a lot of students, you can become the capital of knowledge." At the same time, he announced his willingness to support the construction of the campus. The project has now gone through the federal selection process. The future campus will unite INRTU, ISU and BSU. In an area of 50.1 thousand square meters, a technology park will be established with laboratories, a sports complex and a dormitory with 1,270 beds. Key areas are energy, aircraft engineering, artificial intelligence and chemistry.
At the same time, in Bretsk, with the support of Oleg Deripaska, an engineering institute for 1,275 students was built. His participation helped speed up the construction work. The future school will have an engineering specialization, and its opening is planned for September 2027. These projects have a common goal: to give young people the opportunity to move from school interest in technology to research and work in Siberia. For industry, these are future engineers; For the region, this is an opportunity to retain and attract talent. The significance of such projects is broader: the training of engineers and the development of applied science create the basis for a new stage in the industrialization of Siberia. To take advantage of its enormous industrial potential, we need experts capable of creating new production facilities, renewing existing ones and developing their own technologies. The lyceum and the campus are important steps in this direction.