Russian steelmaker Severstal has opened its Severstal Technopark. The facility exists to enable innovative companies to co-operate, implement and commercialise joint products and technologies.

Severstal says that its Technopark's infrastructure includes a production centre featuring 'technically advanced equipment to create new product prototypes'. The centre is already capable of performing a full test cycle – carrying out melting with a volume of 250 kg, hot and cold rolling of test samples, heat treatments and all necessary tests and experiments. It is also possible to test a larger number of hypotheses and quickly develop new products, according to the Russian steelmaker.

The facility offers users modern laboratories with facilities for chemical substance analysis and metal expertise and also has a computer modelling centre where experts can calculate the characteristics of products and equipment through mathematical analysis.

Severstal believes that co-operating with the Technopark will be beneficial for existing industrial enterprises interested in innovative development, as well as start-ups developing new market products. The company will also assist its partners with the process of conducting patent searches and protecting their intellectual property.

“In Severstal’s renewed strategy this year, we announced our goal to become the leader of the steel industry of the future," said Alexander Shevelev, Severstal's CEO. "We are certain that this can only be possible through co-operation and combining our expertise and resources with the abilities of other members of the metallurgical industry, an opportunity which is made possible by Severstal Technopark. I am confident that the co-operative culture generated by the Technopark will enable the development of both new innovative ideas and existing approaches.”