The council of heads of the Tyumen region’s universities and institutes has proposed creating a unique inter-regional scientific and research center in western Siberia as part of the national project “Science”, the department of strategic communications of the University of Tyumen said on Friday.

“Everyone understands that no matter how strong a university is, it cannot get the status of a scientific and research center outlined in the presidential decree,” said Valery Falkov, the head of the University of Tyumen and the council’s chairman.

According to him, universities need ambitious ideas to develop together.

Under the national project “Science”, Russia should get 15 scientific and research centers to be established as a result of integration of universities and scientific organizations and their cooperation with business structures. The Russian Education Ministry and Academy of Sciences are currently discussing the future work of such centers.

Falkov proposed holding in early November a strategic conference involving representatives of all potential participants in the project, universities, research institutes, businessmen and government agencies.

“The council will organize the strategic conference and tackle other issues of the project’s implementation,” Falkov said.

According to him, the center’s inter-regional status will make it unique.

“This idea was supported by the Tyumen Region leaders who signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. This is the only case in Russia, while other centers will open within separate regions,” he added.

The scientific and research center will be established on the territory of the Tyumen, Khanty-Mansi and Yamal-Nenets regions.

Its work will focus on the Arctic development, oil and gas industry, biological resources and the solution of social and humanitarian problems.