On July 6th, the 16th International Industrial Exhibition INNOPROM 2026 opened in Yekaterinburg. On day one of the exhibition, the stands of the Chelyabinsk Region and Uralvagonzavod were visited by Chelyabinsk Region Governor Alexey Texler. As part of the business program, South Ural State University Rector Alexander Wagner also spoke at a special session dedicated to automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence in industry.
During his tour of the exhibition, the Governor highly praised the design and content of the regional displays. At the SUSU stand, visitors were introduced to a range of university-developed technologies, including robotic grippers, an educational and research robotics and computer vision platform, and electric traction equipment fitted with computer vision technologies.
Later that day, SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner participated in the special session on the Efficient Production 2026: Automation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, organized by the Chelyabinsk Region Industrial Development Fund. He delivered a presentation titled “Staffing Support for Robotics and AI Implementation Processes”.
The session brought together experts to discuss practical experience in implementing automation, robotics, and AI solutions at industrial enterprises. Participants identified the key barriers and drivers of technological transformation in the context of achieving technological sovereignty, reviewed successful practices and pilot projects aimed at replacing critical imported software and equipment, and examined the industry's demand for new competencies and qualified personnel.
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“Today, industry has a substantial workforce across various sectors, but technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace,” said SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner. “New high-tech production facilities and innovative solutions replacing outdated technologies require specialists to continuously adapt. On the one hand, the existing staff is often not fully prepared to integrate new approaches. On the other hand, innovation itself creates the need either to attract new professionals or to retrain those already employed. Addressing this challenge requires coordinated efforts by businesses, industrial enterprises, regional and federal authorities, and universities as the primary centres for personnel training. We are steadily moving toward this common goal. I feel confident that this will be achieved: industry will gain both highly qualified professionals and advanced high-performance technologies. However, this process takes time.”
Throughout the four-day exhibition, the SUSU delegation will participate in the business program covering industrial innovation, digital manufacturing, industrial infrastructure, and educational solutions for the manufacturing sector.
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