5 steps into the future SPECIAL ISSUE DEDICATED ISSUE SPECIAL OF ANNIVERSARY 5TH THE TO SCIENCE OF INSTITUTE SKOLKOVO THE (SKOLTECH) TECHNOLOGY AND 2017 #GREATSCIENCE #LABS #SPACESYSTEMS #BIOTECH #COGNITIVESCIENCES #SCIENTIFICRESULTS #MULTIDISCIPLINARYAPPROACH #EXCELLENTEDUCATION #BIOINFORMATICS #MATERIALSSCIENCE #OILRECOVERY #DATASCIENCE #PHOTONICS #CHANGINGTHEWORLD #DRONES #QUANTUMMATERIALS #ENERGYGRIDS #DNAEDITING #NANOTECHNOLOGIES #PEOPLECREATE #FORUMS #SCIENCEDRIVENBUSINESS #INNOVATIONS #NEWMATERIALS #STARTUPS #ROBOTS #NEWUNIVERSITY #THEBESTCAMPUS #SKOLKOVOECOSYSTEM #WOMENINSTEM #LABTOMARKET #TECHENTREPRENEURSHIP #FABLAB #SKOLTECH 200 professors 360 postdocs and researchers 1200 MSc and PhD students great science excellent education changing the world people create new university WORD DEAR FRIENDS, “Skoltech is a young university, but it has already petitions, and many of them have already launched “When I tell people who are not in the know what Skolk- Usually, universities build experience and acquire tradi- become an important element of the Russian edu- their own startups. ovo is, listing off the elements of its ecosystem, I always say tions over decades or even centuries. And nonetheless, in only cational system insofar as it is implementing a new In parallel, Skolkovo is creating a new edu- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology first. I do it on five years Skoltech has become one of the leaders of national model of education. It is important for Skoltech to cation hub built on partnerships between three purpose because I firmly believe that Skoltech is the corner- higher education. You don’t have to take my word for it—for transfer scientific developments into practical tech- leading universities: Skoltech, the Moscow stone of our project: the integral part of it that plays a spe- proof, just refer to the objective indicators that measure uni- nological solutions. School of Management Skolkovo and the New cial role in the formation of an innova- versity rankings. There are 4.4 published In five years, Skoltech has become a mature, Economic School. Cooperation between these in- tion-friendly environment. Skoltech is, works per faculty member in publications modern institute, where open and enterprising stitutions is developing in three vectors: science first and foremost, young people: talented, indexed by the Scopus international da- students from all over the world study. These stu- and technology, management and economics. I knowledgeable, and daring. Almost all of tabase, comparable to the leading global dents regularly win prestigious international com- am sure that the interactions between these three them are involved in practical, innovative universities. According to the Nature Pub- institutions will produce results not only for stu- activity, while many have already created lishing Group index, Skoltech occupies dents and professors, but also for the Russian real, “grown-up” startups with sizeable the third place in Russia when it comes economy as a whole. The Skolkovo hub is an in- revenue. That means that the technologies to publications in life sciences journals. In tellectual core, a model that can be replicated, a they’ve developed have proven to be mar- this respect, it trails after such giants as the space where new ideas and projects are born and ketable. Russian Academy of Sciences and Moscow developed. Second, Skoltech is professors and lec- State University. Very soon, the institute will move to an in- turers, many of whom are outstanding, I would like to wish staff at the Skolk- credible new campus, which will open even more world-famous scientists. Around 70% of ovo Institute of Science and Technology possibilities. I congratulate you on your five-year the faculty members are our fellow cit- a no less impressive continuation and even anniversary!” izens, having returned to their homeland after working in more explosive successes in its anniversaries to come. Your re- the leading international scientific and academic institutions. search and discoveries, your graduates with all the knowledge Third, Skoltech is amazingly well-equipped and staffed re- and skills necessary to create the digital economy of the future, ARKADY DVORKOVICH search centers and laboratories which, as a matter of fact, have are what our country needs, and what the world needs.” CHAIR OF THE SKOLTECH BOARD been created in partnership with large industrial companies OF TRUSTEES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER like Rosatom, Gazprom Neft, Rosseti, Tatneft, Russian Heli- VICTOR VEKSELBERG OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION copters, and others. PRESIDENT OF THE SKOLKOVO FOUNDATION SKOLTECH 4 5 5 STEPS INTO THE FUTURE CONTRIBUTORS СТРАТЕГИЯ СТРАТЕГИЯ EDITOR IN CHIEF CONTENTS ALEXANDER ZOLOTAREV PRODUCER INESSA GRIGALYUNENE ART DIRECTOR EKATERINA KHOLMOGOROVA EXECUTIVE EDITOR STRATEGY ELENA BARINOVA Skoltech: Past. Present. Future EDITOR PAGE 6 KSENIA NAUMOVA WRITER AT LARGE INGRID BURKE SKOLTECH+ Faces. Comments. Projects. Collaborations. Teams STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER VITALY SHUSTIKOV PAGE 12 PROOFREADER GALINA DANILOVA #1_GREAT SCIENCE PHOTOS ELIZAVETA AZAROVA Labs. Research. Scientific results EVGENY PELEVIN PAGE 16 PAVEL SAMOKHVALOV MAXIM STULOV/VEDOMOSTI EVGENY TSIKUNOV EVGENY GURKO #2_EXCELLENT EDUCATION VIKTOR FEDORCHUK Discourse. Educational Programs. Interviews. Reports ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 58 YULIA BLUCHER ALEXANDRA KUZNETSOVA MARINA MALYSHEVA ALEKSANDRA SLOWIK #3_CHANGING THE WORLD Success stories. Lab to market. Startups. Conferences. Projects INTERVIEWS PAGE 158 ALINA CHERNOVA POLINA IVAKINA DIANA ROSHCHINA ALEXANDER MURAKHOVSKY #4_PEOPLE CREATE VALERY SOBOLEV People. Opinions. Close ups TRANSLATION PAGE 214 NATALIA MAXIMOVA GRACE CUDDIHY HARRISON GRADY FRANCES RANSOME #5_NEW UNIVERSITY New campus. New space. New era PAGE 250 © Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) 143026, Moscow, Nobel str. 3 Tel. +7 (495) 280 14 81 www.skoltech.ru Circulation 500 copies 7 СТРАТЕГИЯ STRATEGY Skoltech: Past. Present. Future –ALEXANDER KULESHOV– SKOLTECH 8 9 5 STEPS INTO THE FUTURE STRATEGY he Skolkovo Institute of Science and form these results into industrial, high-demand and knowledge with leadership skills, technologi- Technology, one of the most important Skoltech’s primary task products. cal ingenuity and incredible bravery and willpow- parts of the Skolkovo project, was for- is to locate and foster next- In addition, it is important to understand how er, self-confidence and determination to take their mally established six years ago. Then, technology-fueled lifestyle shifts have gathered ideas to fruition, making the world a better place. five years ago, in 2012, the first students generation leaders who are momentum in the past ten to twenty years: profes- Of course, humanity has not changed much over were accepted, but for natural reasons the institute talented, well educated, sional skills considered essential only several years the past several centuries and people have always could only fully begin its work in mid-2015. By that ago are becoming unnecessary as we speak. Profes- been this way, but in today’s world an environment time, many bureaucratic problems had been re- ambitious and capable sionals with entrepreneurial talent are beginning has emerged that gave them the opportunity to ful- solved; we had obtained facilities to accommodate of looking beyond the limits to play a leading role in the world. I will not list fill themselves. And one of our country’s main tasks our educational and research processes, assembled the household names of all of the people who have is to try to create that type of environment and fos- a critical mass of highly qualified faculty and ac- of today’s reality transformed the world before our eyes. Their main ter those kinds of people here in Russia. Skoltech quired the minimal amount of equipment necessary distinction from the managers of former genera- is a pioneering organization for our country, and in to begin meaningful activity. Here, I would like to tions is their combination of professional talents the not-too-distant future I hope that it will become express my gratitude to the first Rector of Skoltech, one of the leading scientific educational organiza- Professor Edward Crawley, who was able to over- from traditional educational institutions that have, tions in the world as well. We have every reason come a colossal amount of professional and bureau- over the centuries, successfully fulfilled their func- to think it will: our publishing activity has already cratic obstacles at the outset. That took willpower tions of mass and elite education, of fundamental reached the levels of the leading young internation- and professionalism, which Ed, as it turned out, had and applied research? al universities and we conduct applied research in in abundance. Skoltech’s global mission is to foster A qualitative distinction between third-genera- the fields of biotechnology, energy, data science, a scientific and technological elite for Russia and tion universities and traditional universities consists the world, to train specialists and create technolo- in the former’s organic integration of an innovative gies as a basis for our country’s transition to a new element into research and educational activity, and type of economy, becoming an active participant in the training of multidisciplinary research teams. In Skolkovo.AI the global digital revolution currently under way. other words, training specialists who are not only CONFERENCE Skoltech President, In order to achieve this, it was