OREANDA-NEWS. November 10, 2011. As part of the 4th International Nanotechnology Forum, the Skolkovo Fund and the Composite Holding Company signed an agreement to organize an R&D center for carbon fiber based polymer composite materials which will be located at Skolkovo. The document was signed by Viktor Vekselberg, president of the Skolkovo Fund and Leonid Melamed, president of the Composite Holding Company in the presence of Sergei Kirenko head of Rosatom State Corporation and RUSNANO chairman of the board Anatoly Chubais.

The signed agreement established primary target parameters up to 2015 for the R&D composite materials center which will become part of Skolkovo Innovation Center. The new center will employ 25 people, including 2 foreign specialists.

From left to right: Anatoly Chubais, RUSNANO Chairman of the Board; Sergei Kirenko, Head of Rosatom State Corporation; Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Skolkovo Fund; Leonid Melamed, President of the Composite Holding Company

The total investment planned for the R&D center until 2014 will be around 600 million rubles, including 300 million that Composite Holding Company plans to attract from the Skolkovo fund. The annual budget of the R&D center, will be approximately 200 million rubles starting from 2015.

The Composite research and development center (hereafter Composite RDC) will conduct research as part of Skolkovo’s nuclear technology program supported by the Skolkovo Fund. The primary mission of the R&D center is to conduct research aimed at perfecting carbon fiber production technologies. This research will be focused on development of new methods for production of polyacrylonitrile precursors and carbon fibers, and on creation of new products made of high-test polymer composite materials. The main goal is to substantially raise the quality of Russian-manufactured carbon fiber and provide lower prices for such material. Carbon fiber is extremely light, durable, and highly weather- light and penetrating radiation resistant. These fibers are used to reinforce composite, insulation, chemo resistant and other types of materials and as addition to various carbon plastics.

“In our program of polymer composites usage in the atomic industry products, which makes projections up to 2020, we have a separate section dedicated to scientific research in this field. We are prepared to test solutions which will be brought out by this R&D center at our production facilities, and successful ideas can be applied not only at our own facilities, but also in other branches of atomic industry.” Sergey Kirienko said.

Viktor Vekselberg noted: “It is gratifying, that more and more Russian companies are showing interest in finding practical forms of cooperation with the Skolkovo fund. We are already supporting creation of research structure at Skolkovo for such Russian companies as Sberbank, Information Satellite Systems named after academic Reshetnyov, and Rocket and Space Corporation ‘Energiya’. Working with the Composite company will make it possible to support development of Russian skills and technology in the field of composite polymer materials, which, in many ways, is significantly less developed in Russia than in the leading countries. Scientific research dedicated to perfecting technologies for the production of carbon fiber is of extreme importance; after all, this is a unique material, the material of the future. Its characteristics have tremendous potential for use in various branches of industry, which makes it possible to truly consider it as one of the materials of the 21st century. This R&D center is created in order to significantly raise the quality of Russian-manufactured carbon fiber, and reach the level of skill and technological development that exists in the rest of the world.”

“Until quite recently, corporate science in the field of polymer composite materials based on carbon fiber in Russia existed on an isolated basis. Using this composite materials R&D center, we plan to bring pure science, universities and business together. Our goal is to organize the process in a way, that science will solve problems important to business.” said Leonid Melamed.