Today, on September 15, the Belarusian National Technical University received the Vice‑Rector for International Cooperation, Her Highness Princess Mona bint Fahad Al Said of the Sultanate of Oman. The visit was dedicated to holding negotiations on mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of science and education.
The foreign delegation from Sultan Qaboos University (Sultanate of Oman) was also represented by Adil Al Busaidi, Director of the Innovation and Technology Transfer Center, Mahmoud Al Kindi, Director of the International Cooperation Department, Turayya Al Alawi, Head of the Intellectual Property Department, and Abdulkareem Al Nabhan, Head of the Protocol Department.
At BNTU, the delegation was greeted by Rector Sergei Kharitonchik, Vice‑Rector for Academic Affairs Yuri Nikolaychik, Dean of the Faculty of International Cooperation Pavel Shirvel, General Director of the BNTU Scientific and Technological Park “Polytechnic” Georgy Vershina, Head of the Department of International Programs, Exchanges and Protocols of the Faculty of International Cooperation Anastasia Volkova, and Specialist of the Faculty of International Cooperation Elena Puzan.
The first item on the visit programme was a visit to the technopark. Her Highness familiarized herself with the innovative potential of the enterprise. The tour for the distinguished guest was conducted by Georgy Vershina, who elaborated in detail on the park’s advanced developments, which cover metallurgy, cardiology, orthopedics, and many other fields.
— Based on the company’s laboratory facilities, we can programmatically record all physiological parameters of a person. For example, the parameters of the foot, and this allows us to draw a conclusion: whether it is healthy or not. That is, if a person has flat feet, the laboratory will immediately indicate that it is flat feet. Subsequently, such parameters make it possible to create a device that can treat this condition.
The next stage of the visit was getting acquainted with the educational and scientific potential of BNTU. Presenting information about BNTU’s activities, Sergei Kharitonchik elaborated on the wide range of specialist training areas, the group of well‑known graduates whose achievements have become a source of pride for the university, the key partners among leading enterprises and organizations, as well as the development of international cooperation with foreign educational and research centres. The rector emphasized that BNTU consistently combines fundamental training of engineering personnel with advanced scientific research and is actively expanding the geography of its partner relations.
— Our activities are aimed at creating various experimental units for manufacturing companies. This is the university’s contribution to the commercialization of its own developments. If we also talk about our technology park, we are also establishing enterprises abroad. We have established a company in Tashkent, and we are currently working on establishing a company in the Russian Federation to produce medical devices.
Her Highness Princess Mona bint Fahad Al Said of the Sultanate of Oman, in turn, shared the positions of Sultan Qaboos University (of the Sultanate of Oman) in global rankings, as well as its high achievements in a number of programs, especially in engineering and nursing. As Her Highness noted, the university maintains international ties in Asia, Europe, America, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East, and has international accreditations.
Her Highness’s words were supported by her colleagues, who reported that the university has about 18,000 students. The university offers various programs for master’s students, bachelor’s students, and associate professors. In addition, the university conducts research, publishes scientific journals, issues articles, holds conferences, implements projects, and also provides students with the opportunity to commercialize their ideas.
After reviewing the activities of both universities, the parties moved on to discussing key areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. Her Highness expressed interest in the technopark’s developments and proposed developing joint scientific activities. Furthermore, the meeting participants discussed issues related to academic mobility, joint educational programs, and other promising areas of cooperation.
At the end of the reception, representatives of the two universities exchanged warm words and expressed their interest in continuing to discuss issues related to cooperation.
We thank the representatives of Sultan Qaboos University (Sultanate of Oman) for their visit and are confident that the meeting will become a starting point for new promising projects.
