The first East Siberian youth Center of Innovative Prototyping will be formed at the basis of the National Research Irkutsk State Technical University (NR IrSTU), innovation and venture news source UNOVA reports.

The NR IrSTU won the contest for realizing a program of developing such centers in the Russian regions and will get $315,000 for these purposes.

Experts notice that the main criterion of the efficiency of the centers of prototyping is engagement of the maximum amount of young people into the science and technological projects, and give them opportunities for testing and commercialization of innovative ideas.

According to Sergey Kozin, the manager of the Department of Development of Innovative Activity of the NR IrSTU, the main goals of the university center will be supporting growth of accessibility and attractiveness of innovations for investors, industries, authorities, public.

“Main tendencies of industrial development already now make us think about partial transfer of series production to 3D-prototyping technologies. That is why the youth must learn to work with the most advanced high-technology equipment. This will also help to satisfy another important demand of innovative companies of our region – opportunity for creating and demonstrating to investors samples of their inventions. This and other issues will be solved by the Center of Prototyping that will feature two efficiently complementing sectors: the Youth Center of Innovative Prototyping and the Center of Professional Prototyping,” he said.

The centers of prototyping were first initiated by specialists of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001 and since then have spread throughout the world under the brand FabLab (fabrication laboratory). They are usually located in schools, research or innovative centers or independent structures.