HSE University Develops Research and Academic Partnership with Malaysia
The delegation from Malaysia headed by Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Minister of Higher Education, visited HSE University-St Petersburg on October 10. Among the key topics of the meeting was the discussion of the first results of the mirror laboratory run by HSE University-St Petersburg and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). During the visit, the parties signed the cooperation agreement between HSE University and the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT).
Nikita Anisimov, Rector of HSE University, and Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University-St Petersburg, hosted the Malaysian delegation in the building in Kantemirovskaya Street. The Professors' Hall featured the presentation of the results of the Russian-Malaysian mirror laboratory's work in the sphere of social entrepreneurship. It was delivered by Alexander Sorokin, dean of the St Petersburg School of Social Sciences, and Magdalena Gaete, head of the Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education at HSE University-St Petersburg.
Over the year, the staff of the mirror laboratory has developed a database on social entrepreneurship in Russia and Malaysia, issued an informational digest and completed several projects. Among the significant ones is a research in the sphere of elderly care in Russia carried out by Magdalena Gaete. In 2024, this work received an award from UTM for the best case on social entrepreneurship. In 2025, the researchers plan to develop a course on social entrepreneurship and prepare two research papers and an analytical report. The results of the mirror laboratory's work will be presented in 2026 at a joint conference of HSE University and UTM in Malaysia.
The agreement to launch the mirror laboratory was reached in November 2023. The ceremony of signing the agreement was held in Kuala Lumpur during the meeting of the Joint Russian-Malaysian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. This is when the Malaysian part of the project was launched. The ceremony of opening the Russian part of the laboratory took place at the HSE University St. Petersburg International Partners’ Days in May 2024.
Zambry Abdul Kadir and other members of the Malaysian delegation also communicated with international student researchers at HSE University-St Petersburg. The minister was interested not only in their work at the laboratory but also in their life and studies at HSE University and in St Petersburg. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. In his turn, Zambry Abdul Kadir told the students about the opportunities for academic exchange with Malaysian universities.
From the Professors' Hall, the meeting participants went on a campus tour. They visited an exhibition of scientific projects by the researchers of HSE University-St Petersburg. The guests were able to see interactive elements of quantum microlasers, digital, including AI, tools for diagnostic of neurocognitive disorders, and work in the spheres of bio- and chemoinformatics. Zambry Abdul Kadir discussed with the scientists the details of the presented projects, including an opportunity to involve Malaysian colleagues in joint research.
In the lecture hall, Anna Tyshetskaya delivered a presentation in which she underscored the importance of expanding cooperation with Malaysian universities. In recent years, HSE University has signed agreements with five leading Malaysian universities, including UTM. She emphasised that such projects as the mirror laboratory and participation in the conference AHIBS-ACT 2024 contribute to the development of international academic and research ties.
'Educational cooperation with Malaysia is important for HSE University-St Petersburg. Among our partners are five leading Malaysian universities. The creation of the joint mirror laboratory with UTM brought the cooperation to a new level. We continue our work and look forward to new projects with Malaysian universities', Anna Tyshetskaya highlights.
Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia, underscored that the format of a mirror laboratory was an important direction of scientific cooperation between universities. He also emphasised that creating new research projects with international partners such as HSE University is essential for improving the well-being of Malaysia.
'International partnerships are one of the most significant directions of my work. HSE University is already working on a project with the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Its expertise will also be useful in other projects which will help to develop our country. Now, there are approximately 128,000 international students in Malaysia, and I believe that their number will grow, enriching our experience and knowledge about the modern world', he stated.
During the visit, the parties signed the agreement on scientific and cultural cooperation between HSE University and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT). The agreement provides for joint research and programmes of experience exchange for experts.
Summing up the results of the visit, Nikita Anisimov, Rector of HSE University, noted: 'Our future depends on the current students—on projects and teams which are created right now together with the international partners'. 'This is why such meetings like today's one are especially valuable. By strengthening the relations between countries, we not only bring scientific collaborations to a new level but also change our shared future for the best', he believes.
The delegation from Malaysia arrived in St Petersburg to take part in the third meeting of the Joint Russian-Malaysian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. The meeting was chaired by Valery Falkov, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia, and Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia. The meeting was devoted to the tasks set during the negotiations between Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, and Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, in September 2024 during the Eastern Economic Forum. In the meeting of the commission, the parties noted that the development of direct contacts between universities and research institutes from both countries was one of the main priorities on humanitarian grounds.