Alcoa looks east

Alcoa has established an Innovation Centre of Excellence with leading universities in Russia to work on research and development projects focused on mining, refining and smelting technologies.

Alcoa has signed agreements with Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State Mining Institute, and Ural Polytechnic University in Ekaterinburg to work on research and development projects focused on transformational technologies in mining and refining.

‘Today’s business climate demands collaboration between business and universities, which Alcoa has been doing for years,’ said Dave Olney, Vice President of Technology and Alcoa Business System (ABS) for Alcoa World Alumina. ‘The scientific community in Russia has a distinguished reputation, and we are excited by the initial energy between our researchers and these universities.’

Alcoa’s Innovation Centre of Excellence in St. Petersburg is part of a broader open innovation business model that focuses leveraging R&D resources in rapidly developing countries. Last month, Alcoa announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to partner in collaborative research projects that address issues such as energy efficiency, alternative and renewable energy sources, environmental technologies as well as multi-material engineered solutions.