The agreement was signed by Sergey Dmitriev, Acting Rector of NNSTU, and Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of the Board of the NAS Association.

The industry in figures and focus areas

The cooperation covers all key segments of autonomous systems: unmanned aircraft systems, highly automated transport, industrial robotics, uncrewed surface vessels, satellite systems, software and artificial intelligence.

Alekseev NNSTU is more than a technical university. It is a school that has spent decades training engineers for real industry: shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, instrument making, defence. Here they know how to do more than teach theory — they know how to produce people who go straight to work with both their hands and their heads.
These are exactly the specialists the autonomous systems industry needs today: not merely familiar with the concept of drones or robotics, but able to design, configure and operate complex technical systems in real conditions.

Practice instead of the lecture hall: how the partnership will work

The central element of the agreement is building a direct flow of NNSTU students and postgraduates into companies that belong to the NAS Association. Specifically:
• Targeted training — where a student knows from the first year where they will work
• Internships and placements at real production sites of Association members
• Continuing education programmes — retraining and upskilling for specialists already working in the industry
• Joint development projects — where a university laboratory works on the tasks of specific companies
• Commercialisation of NNSTU developments through the network of the Association's members and partners

"We have agreed on three key areas: joint development work on the industry's priority tasks, training specialists through placements at Association companies and targeted training, and promoting the university's developments among our members. NNSTU has competencies that are in demand in unmanned aviation, robotics and autonomous transport — now these competencies have a direct route into industry," said Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of the Board of the NAS Association.

The agreement is concluded for three years with automatic renewal. Specific projects, roadmaps and financial parameters of the joint work will be set out in separate contracts.