HSE International Partners' Week Starts in St Petersburg
It is the third time that HSE University-St Petersburg has become a centre for a global academic dialogue. Dozens of lectures and workshops by researchers from China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan, Serbia, Tunisia and other countries: the programme of the HSE St Petersburg International Partners' Week started with the Student Day. The venue for the global academic dialogue was the Rope Shop Educational Space.
Before the official IPW-2026 programme started, there was a networking session. International colleagues agreed that annual meetings at HSE University-St Petersburg allowed them to enhance the partnership, develop the cultural dialogue and find new ideas for research. The Chinese representatives—Min Wu, rector of the Anhui Institute of Technology, and Qin Bo, professor of the Renmin University of China, focused on the joint work with big data, implementation of artificial intelligence in education and exchange of urbanistic experience. The rector of the Indonesian Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Bambang Pramujati, emphasised that the forum enabled the scaling up of HSE University's existing initiatives—from academic mobility to joint technological developments.
The Student Day of the International Partners' Week brought together all the faculties of HSE University-St Petersburg. Together with international experts, professors and students discussed economics, artificial intelligence, international relations, design and the future of higher education.
Agents of Global Changes
One of the key topics of the day was the reimagining of university education. Juan Pablo Aranda, professor of UPAEP (Mexico), offered students the opportunity to reflect on the value of higher education and its mission. He is sure that only the humanitarian, human-centred approach can shape specialists who are ready to be proactive in changing society for the better.
'Imagine a doctor who lacks empathy for patients. We can hardly call them professionals in their field. Without ethics, universities will be dangerous too. That is why professors must not just convey knowledge but also develop students' respect for human dignity and support humanistic ideas. A human must always be in the centre', underscored Juan Pablo Aranda.
The discussion continued during the workshop by Nadežda Stojković, professor of the University of Niš (Serbia), one of the leading world experts in academic communication. HSE students learned how to argue their research position and mastered field-specific vocabulary in English. The skills will help the students with term papers, oral defence and any professional discussions.
'I'm interested in learning about different approaches to academic writing and about the details to which I should pay attention in scientific texts. This lecture will be useful for both participation in conferences and my future thesis', believes Elena Mityurova, 1st-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Texts, Languages, and Digital Tools'.
Economics for People
In the economic track, Leandro Morais, professor of UNESP (Brazil), introduced students to the concept of 'triple approach': socio-economic, environmental and digital transformation. The expert specifically highlighted the role of universities in shaping new approaches to sustainable development.
Veronika Simonova
Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology
'The topic of sociability and solidarity raised in the lecture correlates with the works by Émile Durkheim, a French sociologist and philosopher. It was interesting for me to listen to the international colleagues and see their vision of cooperation with Russia', said Veronika Simonova. 'The International Partners' Week is an important event to find like-minded people'.
Rafael Dias, professor of the State University of Campinas (Brazil), focused on social innovations. In his opinion, the most successful projects appear in local communities. It helps to find the solutions relevant to the people and makes it easier to adapt to global changes.
Cities, AI Diplomacy and Geopolitics
Qin Bo, professor of the Renmin University of China, presented the experience of China, where in less than half a century, the level of urbanisation has increased from 18 to 67%, and more than 700 million people moved to cities. A significant role in accelerating the development of the country was played by the public policy. The researcher believes that this example can be the basis for the urbanisation of the countries of the Global South.
The most important questions for understanding geopolitical processes were covered during the lecture by Mohamed Ali Chihi, executive director of the Global Institute for Strategic Research (Tunisia), and a diplomatic official with extensive experience. He analysed in detail why the Middle East was moving towards multipolarity and how this trend influences the countries in the region.
'We see the growth of regional sovereignty in the Middle East. Such countries as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey enhance their influence through economic strategies and search for allies. However, among them, there is no obvious leader', explained Mohamed Ali Chihi.
'The topic of the lecture by Dr Mohamed Ali Chihi is extremely up-to-date. It was interesting to find out what he thought about the future development of safety in the Middle East and align his ideas with my view of the situation', shared Maksim Rustinov, 4th-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies'.
French researcher Pierre-Emmanuel Thomann discussed the potential of artificial intelligence in preventing conflicts. He thinks that AI can become a tool of predictive diplomacy and analytics. However, it is still unclear which human prejudices new technologies will inherit from their creators.
Narratives of Originality
The creative track attracted the audience with no less burning questions. Clemenceau Derock, creative director and founder of the agency 'Seenk', cofounder of Ecole Intuit Lab, offered to do some reflecting on how modern narratives shape our desires and values. He drew students' attention to the fact that storytelling more often turned to myths, rituals, symbols, and design becomes one of the main conductors of this process.
Evgeniya Lomakina
Senior Lecturer at the St Petersburg School of Art and Design
'Clemenceau Derock is a very interesting lecturer. His team worked with large international brands. His expertise is very similar to mine: he studies how design influences society. It was exciting to see how the brand narrative was shaped. Of course, I wanted to discuss with students afterwards which trends were global, and which ones distinguished the Russian market from the others', highlighted Evgeniya Lomakina, senior lecturer at the St Petersburg School of Art and Design.
'For political scientists, it is important to be versed in various discourses and narratives. Additionally, I attend a minor course on content production, so it was interesting to listen to the speaker and realise how deep the roots of storytelling went back in history', added Victoria Psienko, 3rd-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics'.
Felipe Taborda, a graphic designer from Rio de Janeiro, offered the students the opportunity to answer the question of where the border between plagiarism, imitation and respect for the source lies. In the world, where culture exists in the form of clickable links, it becomes harder to find an original idea, but that is why the discussion of creative purity takes on a new meaning.
The Student Day of HSE St Petersburg International Partners' Week finished with an educational fair for those who are planning to participate in the academic mobility programme. HSE students met partner universities and professors of different tracks, who shared the peculiarities of studying at international universities, selection rules and interesting student projects.
