Tashir group promotes technological development of Armenia

On June 5, Yerevan hosted the opening ceremony of an intellectual centre launched in collaboration with internationally established French company Schneider Electric and the Tashir Group of Companies at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA).

The opening ceremony was attended by President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan, President of Tashir Group Samvel Karapetyan, President of Schneider Electric in Russia and CIS Johann Vanderplaetse, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Network of Armenia Karen Darbinyan, the company’s General Director Karen Arutyunyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, MP Samvel Nikoyan, Rector of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, Professor Vostanik Marukhyan, Ph.D., and other officials.

As part of the opening ceremony, a four-way agreement was signed by representatives of  Schneider Electric, Tashir Group, National Polytechnic University of Armenia, and  Electric Power Network of Armenia.

The new centre, launched at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, is expected to serve as one of the first cooperation projects between Schneider Electric and Armenia’s science and research community. Dozens of students and research fellows will work on their competence levels and improve their knowledge of the newest energy-supply and automation technologies. Fellows will also have an internship opportunity with  Schneider Electric, one of the global leaders in developing solutions for the energy-supply sector and also to Cascade Holding (part of the Tashir Group of Companies), a leading Russian energy company, developer and provider of integrated effective solutions for urban and civil infrastructure.

"This will be an advanced technological center meeting all world standards. Opening of the competence center furnished with high-tech modern equipment will allow not only to train future professionals, but will also open new opportunities for the experts in the field of electricity supply. I am confident that the center will provide a breakthrough in the field of science and technology and will contribute to establishing a literate scientific and technical basis for the development of effective and efficient manufacturing industries in Armenia, " - said Mr. Samvel Karapetyan, President of the Tashir Group.

In addition, at the opening ceremony Samvel Karapetyan announced the creation of a special student grants. The best future specialists with a high degree of success studying at the institutes of energy and power engineering and mechanics of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia will receive a scholarship in the amount equivalent to 6,000 US dollars annually from the Tashir Charitable Foundation in September 2017.

“Collaboration with the nation’s major technological university will open the way for implementing our best practices in innovative technologies in the Armenian market,” said  President of Schneider Electric in Russia and CIS Johann Vanderplaetse.

Experts are agreed that this project will go towards showing that integration of the European and Eurasian business and research communities can be both highly effective and productive.

Only three months earlier, the Electric Power Network of Armenia company, affiliated with Tashir Group, and Schneider Electric signed a memorandum on cooperation. The agreement mapped out the parties’ plans to participate in Armenia's electrical-grid infrastructure upgrade programme while using the best global practices. Additionally, Tashir Group and  Schneider Electric have been looking into cooperation opportunities in other areas, such as engineering and production of modern equipment and automation systems for supply within the framework of the  Eurasian Economic Union.

Developing modern automation systems and smart equipment in  the energy-supply sector is a leading trend in the industry. European experts have already identified the technological trend of  the future. According to Johann Vanderplaetse, a few years from now, the global community will focus on an intellectual approach to energy resources.

Armenia has become Schneider Electric’s new CIS partner. The company announced its plans for cooperation with the National Polytechnic University of Armenia and further plans to open a company office in Yerevan in February, 2017.