Magdalena Gaete Speaks at International Conference AHIBS Global Research Exchange
Magdalena Gaete, Head of the Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education, took part in the international online conference AHIBS Global Research Exchange. The meeting was organised by the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM). At the conference, the researchers discussed the work results of the mirror laboratory of HSE University-St Petersburg and UTM.
The online conference AHIBS Global Research Exchange was held on October 16. The event gathered more than 50 interdisciplinary researchers from Russia and Malaysia. During the meeting, the researchers discussed the work of the mirror laboratory on social entrepreneurship created by HSE University-St Petersburg together with UTM. Magdalena Gaete, Head of the Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education, presented the results. Shathees Baskaran, a UTM professor, moderated the event.
In her speech, Magdalena Gaete told about the launch of the mirror laboratory. The Malaysian part of the project was opened in November 2023 in Kuala Lumpur during the meeting of the Joint Russian-Malaysian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. The opening ceremony of the Russian part took place in May 2024 at the International Partners' Days. The laboratory projects are carried out by the Russian-Malaysian interdisciplinary team, including 65 HSE students majoring in social sciences and business.
Over the year, the researchers collected a database which included more than 13,000 entrepreneurs from Russia and Malaysia. At the online conference, Magdalena Gaete shared that the scientists had already written two joint articles, published one case in the sphere of AgeTech (elderly care) in Russia, prepared two information digests and finished several projects, including the research on elderly care in Russia. This project not only presents innovations in elderly care but also demonstrates significant achievements in Russian social entrepreneurship. In 2024, at the conference AHIBS-ACT 2024, this work was named the best case on social entrepreneurship and received an award.
Magdalena Gaete highlighted that such researches not only developed social entrepreneurship but also increased the prosperity in society. 'It's important for universities to become more open, and support the society and country for which they are working. The social responsibility of a university is not a trend but one of its key missions. We educate and train the youth, future professionals who will be able to take care of us all. Students need to understand that they also can work as social entrepreneurs and which business models they can offer. That is why it is important for universities to run social projects and involve students in them. Such a model can not only lead to the sustainable development of universities but also the sustainability of the country in general', explains Magdalena Gaete.
The researchers will continue studying how social entrepreneurship is arranged in Russia and Malaysia and will create guidelines with the best business practices. The plans for 2025 include an international course on social entrepreneurship, an analytical report and scientific papers.
For the first time after the mirror laboratory was opened in May 2024 at the International Partners' Days, the results of its work were presented during the visit of the official Malaysian delegation to HSE University-St Petersburg on October 10. The importance of this international project was highlighted by Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia. He pointed out that the expertise of HSE University would be useful in other joint projects as well. 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.