By Boris Gusev

The Russian Engineering Academy, the post-Soviet heir of the Engineering Academy of the USSR, was founded in May 1990. The Academy was established with the participation of several Soviet and Russian ministries and agencies, including the Soviet State Science and Technology Committee, the Soviet Academy of Science and the Soviet Union of Engineering Associations.

The main goals and objectives of the Academy are the development and preservation of the intellectual potential of applied science and technology in the key engineering disciplines through effective application of the achievements of the fundamental sciences in the production sphere. The Academy conducts scientific research and engineering development oriented toward the elaboration of new techniques, technologies and materials. In addition, the Academy acts as an independent expert for federal and regional scientific-technical programs and projects.

Today, more than 1,200 academics and associate members of the Academy, as well as 3,000 academic advisors, are engaged in the Academy's 26 departments. The Academy has 51 regional affiliates in 45 Russian regions. Its 2,000 collective members include major science-oriented enterprises, including VAZ, Gazprom, Uralmash and others.

The Academy's Construction Department, registered since 2000 as an autonomous non-commercial organization, brings together leading scholars, engineers, educators and other specialists in the major scientific and technical areas of the construction field.

The Department's activities are aimed at:
- implementing and coordinating integrated scientific research in the construction field;
- developing and introducing effective construction materials and constructions, new technologies and planning solutions intended to improve the quality, reliability and endurance of buildings and other structures;
- nurturing intellectual potential; and
- promoting scientific and technological progress.

The Construction Department's main activities are:
- Development and implementation of research programs in priority areas of science and technology;
- Expert consultation on planning, scientific and engineering development;
- Methodological assistance and employee training;
- Development of regulatory and methodological documentation;
- Pre-licensing preparation and consultation on technical preparedness and professional qualifications;
- certification of qualifications in various fields of activity.

The Department works in close cooperation with its corporate members, including Montazhspetsstroi, Transstroi, the Russian Association of Construction Material Producers, Mezhprombank, Samara Transgaz, the Central Scientific Research Institute Industrial Building, the Light Construction Scientific Research Institute, and NGO-Orgproekteconomica.

What does the beginning of the 21st century mean for the Academy? First and foremost, it should be noted that the leading countries in the world economy today, at the beginning of the 21st century, are studying development plans, looking at their scientific-technological potential as a guarantee of national security and the preservation of commercial markets and political influence. In the next few years, it is expected that a significant rift will open up in the intellectual sphere in terms of acquisition of super-effective technologies and energy sources.

Analysts also predict that in the 21st century, global international cooperation will flourish, especially in the sphere of science and technology. Research and development currently require such large expenditures that even the wealthiest countries are beginning to find themselves incapable of financing them. The International Engineering Academy has been enlisted to coordinate international scientific activity, uniting the potential of numerous national engineering academies, including the Russian Engineering Academy.

Lack of demand for scientific research is the most destructive problem not only for the sciences, but also for the economy of any country. Demand for applied sciences can only be created through development of production. In market conditions, it is production that must set goals for scientific progress and provide for their achievement.

But when talking about production, we cannot ignore the much-rumored "2003 problem." The essence of the problem is a crisis in domestic industry that has been brewing for the past 10 years, caused by the deterioration of assets. For many enterprises, such deterioration has already affected 40 percent to 60 percent of production resources. Judging by the prognoses, this process will reach its peak in 2003 and will be marked by the massive failure of equipment, machinery and entire technological complexes. Technological catastrophes may occur. Bringing assets back to working condition requires a colossal amount of money, which the country simply doesn't have. There are similarly no funds for purchasing equipment and technology abroad. There is only one solution - to put emphasis on domestic development and planning. The Russian Engineering Academy has set itself the goal of facilitating this process, however possible.

In its 10 years of activity, the Russian Engineering Academy has confirmed its ability to carry out a wide range of scientific technical programs in market conditions, which has allowed more than 200 scientific research organizations to be brought back into the flow of research and development of new types of equipment, technologies, tools and materials.

In the 21st century, Russia is expected to have a construction boom, and as a result, new types of construction equipment, materials and products are expected to appear for the industrial and residential sectors. The materials developed and created over the past ten years but that have not been put to full use will have a marked advantage in this area. New synthetic class and carbon fibers used in the development of the Buran rocket, for example, have tremendous potential for the construction sector, as they outperform steel and are five to seven times lighter than materials currently available.

We have entered the 21st century, an age in which we will see a new generation of engineers. They will be highly educated professionals, well versed in the humanities and scientific issues. They will possess the know-how required to use modern telecommunications systems, giving them efficient tools to access and exchange information and advancing shared development in the fields of science and technology in Russia and around the world.

Boris Gusev is president of the Russian Engineering Academy