International Partners' Week Starts at HSE University–St Petersburg
HSE University–St Petersburg has launched International Partners' Week, which brings together more than 100 representatives of leading global universities. The grand opening ceremony took place on May 20 in the new HSE building on Vasilievsky Island.
The large-scale international forum has brought together more than 100 representatives of 50 leading universities from 23 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The grand opening ceremony started with the academic choir performing the hymn of St Petersburg and the student hymn 'Gaudeamus Igitur.' The event's hosts were Manoj Sharma, Vice President of HSE University–St Petersburg, and Tiam Athari, an international student of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics' from Iran.
In her opening speech, Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University–St Petersburg, emphasised that over the last year, the number of participants in International Partners' Week has doubled. The director also expressed her confidence that the event would serve as a platform for enhancing partnership ties between universities interested in finding new ways to develop education.
Anna Tyshetskaya
Director of HSE University–St Petersburg
Partners' Week is a significant result of the joint work of the whole university. Its main task is to strengthen the ties of HSE University, but the real value of such events is that we promote Russia as an amazing place for studying, working, and carrying out joint research. First and foremost, we are positioning St Petersburg as the world capital of science and education.
Today, our university is perceived as a centre for creating brand new research ties. For instance, during last year's International Partners' Week, we opened a joint laboratory with the leading university in Malaysia, and now we are expanding this agreement to include six universities from countries in the Asia–Pacific Region and Latin America.
Among the attendees of the grand opening ceremony were diplomatic representatives—Park Ji Eun, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in St Petersburg, Toshikazu Motu, Deputy Consul General of Japan in St Petersburg, and Kabul Alimov, Consul of the Republic of Uzbekistan in St Petersburg. On behalf of St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, Vice Governor Vladimir Knyaginin greeted the guests.
'We are happy to welcome you to this HSE building on Vasilievsky Island, a historical centre of science and education in Russia. There are 340,000 students in St Petersburg, and one in ten of them is international. Our city has long been a leader in terms of education quality and providing a comfortable atmosphere for international students. I hope it will stay this way in the future thanks to our fruitful cooperation with you and such significant events as International Partners' Week at HSE University-St Petersburg. I hope you have productive professional discussions and enjoy our city. The White Nights have already started, and I hope that they will highlight the beauty and hospitality of our city for you,' underscored Vladimir Knyaginin.
In his speech, Nikita Anisimov, Rector of HSE University, emphasised the importance of international cooperation for developing education. According to him, academic mobility programmes allow students to form bonds which, in 15–20 years, they will be able to use as heads of large companies or governmental agencies.
'It's wonderful that International Partners' Week at HSE University in St Petersburg has become a regular event. We are happy to welcome our colleagues and friends from various continents to the "northern capital" to align our positions on the issues of current and future higher education and discuss the role of universities' interaction in a multi-polar world. I am sure that the commitments reached and cooperation agreements signed with international partners will open up new opportunities for our students and researchers and will end up benefitting world science and education. We are contributing here and now to the creation of a normal, healthy, peaceful future for all of us,' highlighted Nikita Anisimov.
The central event of the first day of International Partners' Week was the plenary session 'Re-designing International Cooperation: University Perspective.' The discussion of topical issues related to the transformation of the global educational space featured Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, Le Trung Thanh, Rector of VNU University of Economics and Business, Agus Muhamad Hatta, Vice Rector of Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Alumni at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (Surabaya), Ahmad Hasnah, President of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar), and Juan Fernando Córdoba Marentes, Vice Rector for Professors and Research at the University of La Sabana (Colombia).
Professor Yogesh Singh, who impressed the participants with his greetings in Russian, noted the importance of cooperation between Indian and Russian universities. He also talked about a joint project with HSE University: the launch of an international research mirror laboratory on data storage, processing, and communication in space systems in partnership with Geoscan (a portfolio company of the Innopraktika non-state development institute). 'This initiative gives students direct practical experience in satellite communication, radio technologies, and space engineering,' he highlighted.
The opening ceremony featured the signing of cooperation agreements between HSE University–St Petersburg and five leading universities: the State University of Campinas (Brazil), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (Indonesia), the University of La Sabana (Colombia), the University of São Paulo (Brazil), and Alexandria University (Egypt). According to Anna Tyshetskaya, these agreements will serve as a basis for joint research projects, academic mobility programmes, and educational initiatives.
Over the course of the work week, guests of International Partners' Week will participate in expert discussions on key directions in the development of higher education and international cooperation. The programme includes sessions covering models of international mirror laboratories for joint research, the role of artificial intelligence in higher education, the synergy of universities and business in training personnel for the digital economy, sustainable development, and new formats of international cooperation in the new geopolitical landscape.
The event programme also includes an educational fair showcasing partner universities, a fashion show, and the opening ceremony of a joint exhibition by the St Petersburg School of Art and Design and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (Indonesia).
Over the past few years, HSE University–St Petersburg has been working systematically to expand international ties. Since 2022, the university has cemented its status as an active participant in the world academic community and has established partnerships with more than 30 leading international universities and organisations. Over the last three years, the campus in St Petersburg has become a leader in international cooperation at HSE University.