September 21, 2010: September 17 in Taganrog was held the opening of the Southern Laser Center for Innovative Technology. The Non-Profit Partnership Southern Laser Center for Innovative Technology ("SLITC") was created within the framework of the special intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Germany that was signed in 1992. At present a network of five laser centers for innovative technology is operating in Russian cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Obninsk, Yekaterinburg and Taganrog.

The major task of the center is to foster the cooperation and to promote the use of laser technologies and modern laser equipments at the companies based in the South of Russia.

The partners of the SLITC from the German side are the Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH) and LIMO GmbH (Lissotschenko Mikrooptik). From the Russian side the project is supported by the Laser Association of Russia, Southern Federal University, Beriev Aircraft Corp., AviaOK International, Rostov Oblast Government and Taganrog Local Government.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the center's director Oleg Spiridonov, and was attended by Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Markus Klemmt - head of training and education group at Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Dr. Vitalij Lissotschenko - President & Chief Executive Officer of LIMO Lissotschenko Mikrooptik GmbH, Professor Alexander Sukhinov - Head of the Taganrog College of Technologies (TTI) of Southern Federal University, Nikolay Lavro - Deputy Chief Designer of Beriev Aircraft Company, and many other directors and representatives from the leading companies and organizations of the city of Taganrog.


The inauguration of the center in Taganrog is an important event for the Taganrog's business community and for Southern Russia, since the renovation of technologies in production facilities is a very important issue.

For more information go to Taganrog Laser Center for Innovative Technology's web site at go to www.slitc.ru and network of Russian-German Laser Centers's web portal at www.laser-itc.org