HSE University–St Petersburg and UPES Hold Summer School on Climate Programmes
HSE University–St Petersburg and UPES University (India) held a joint summer school for students and researchers on the influence of international organisations on environmental regulation policy in Russia and India. HSE University–St Petersburg was represented by Aleksei Sorbale, academic supervisor of the Bachelor's programmes 'Political Science and World Politics' and 'Data Analytics for Politics and Society.'
The Summer School 'Climate Change and Policy Reactions in Russia and India' is part of the international academic partnership project of the Centre for Comparative Governance Studies at HSE University–St Petersburg and UPES University. Researchers are exploring the role of international organisations, in particular EAEU and BRICS, in shaping the global environmental agenda. This intensive course brought together students and researchers from Russia, India, Lebanon, and other countries.
Aleksei Sorbale
Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor's programmes 'Political Science and World Politics' and 'Data Analytics for Politics and Society'
'Last year, at UPES University, we held a school for students of the Bachelor's programme "Political Science and World Politics" on digital processes at the federal and regional levels in Russia and India. This year, we revised the format: we invited specialists from various universities who delivered lectures and workshops. The students solved practical tasks and assessed the efficiency of environmental programmes in Russian and Indian regions. They were interested in immersing themselves in a completely new sphere,' shared Aleksei Sorbale.
The associate professor from HSE University–St Petersburg delivered lectures about how 'soft law' works in the environmental agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union. According to Aleksei Sorbale, countries in the union are not obliged to enter into environmental commitments. The introduction of 'green' norms happens without any coercion; however, the architecture of trade agreements in the framework of the EAEU market implies the incorporation of sustainable development principles into national legislation.
'Our colleagues shared their expertise in the sphere of environmental regulation of BRICS and ASEAN member countries and talked about cooperation between regional and federal authorities in India for problem-solving. Our countries face similar challenges. Both have the so-called "third Pole of Cold": in Russia, it is Altai, and in India, the Himalayas. Rising temperatures and deglaciation, soil degradation, and a shortage of minerals require us to exchange experience and work together to decrease the negative influence of these factors on local communities,' shared the HSE University–St Petersburg professor.
According to Dmitry Selivanov, head of the India Unit at HSE University–St Petersburg, the university is a trusted partner of UPES and other universities in the region. This summer school is another strategic step in developing international academic cooperation.
'Today, we're trying to enhance our existing projects in India and make the partnership systematic and long-lasting. In addition to our work with UPES, HSE University–St Petersburg has two mirror laboratories with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, assisted by the HSE Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics in the sphere of space research and superconductive spintronics. A similar project is to be launched at the University of Delhi. We have plans to hold a winter school with the Management Development Institute Gurgaon. During the intensive course, the participants will be able to visit large companies.
'Last month, the Laboratory for Social and Cognitive Informatics went to India twice: to the AI Impact 2026 international AI forum in Delhi and Technology Day in Meerut. Before that, HSE University has also established an office at the Russian trade representative office in Delhi specifically for HSE employees in India,' summed up Dmitry Selivanov.
