HSE Builds Cooperation with Malta in Energy, Innovations and Education

On 22 September 2014 the Higher School of Economics hosted a delegation of young representatives of the public sector, science and business from Malta, headed by Aaron Farrugia, CEO of Malta Freeport Corporation Ltd.  Among other members of the delegation were Christopher Cutajar, Secretary of the Fgura Local Council, Roderick Formosa, First Secretary  of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta and Law professor at the University of Malta, and Joseph Muscat, Head of the Research Laboratory of Malta.

The visit was organized by the HSE International Cooperation Office on the initiative of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Federal Government Agency under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Maltese delegation wanted to  discuss possible cooperation in energy and innovations as well as other relevant areas. The meeting at the HSE is a starting point for long-term relationships between Russian and Maltese institutions in a variety of educational and research projects.

Up until now the HSE School of Asian Studies has cultivated relations with Maltese organisations in short-term educational programmes overseen by Andrey Chuprygin, Aleksey Maslov.  The Summer School on Asian Studies in Buġibba, Malta, first organized by the HSE School of Asian Studies in 2014 with the support of the Russian Boarding School Malta (RBSM), was a great success. One of the most interesting courses at the School was on the history of Malta and its role as a meeting point of East and West. Today Malta plays a significant role in dialogue being a kind of cultural bridge between Eastern Islamic society and Western Christian societies; the geography of the archipelago and its historical experience determine the unique cultural code of the Maltese people: for example, their language is the only official European language of Arabic origin.

The roundtable Cooperation Development in Energy and Innovations was a key part of the visit. HSE Vice Rector Sergei Erofeev presented the Higher School of Economics as ‘not only an educational research university, but as a center of high expertise’, particularly in the field of energy and innovations. 

During the meeting HSE representatives ShivletaTagirova, Oksana Chernenko, Dmitry Savkin and Marina Batalina described the range of  English-language programmes available for international students and young researchers. HSE participants also introduced university’s research and academic experience in the field of energy and innovations.

The Maltese participants expressed their interest in developing joint research and educational projects between HSE and Maltese business and education institutions as the Government of Malta is keen to develop education and internationalize higher educational programmes.

The roundtable was an opportunity to discuss the problems both countries face in energy and innovations and share their ideas about solving them. The participants particularly emphasized the importance of cooperation between private, public, research and education centres.

Joseph Muscat, Head of the Research Laboratory of Malta, gave a brief overview of key Maltese problems connected with the implementation of the programme on clean energy and innovative technologies. He stressed that the archipelago is not only about tourism but also about business and consulting, as well as innovations in the energy sector. The Maltese delegation recounted its experience of collaborating with the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Education of Malta in projects directed at solving problems in the energy sector and developing innovation technologies.

Ilya Dolmatov, Associate Professor at the Department of Energy and Minerals Market, outlined the energy studies at HSE and relevant centres of research and expertise. Denis Fedulkin, Head of Copyright and Legal Support for Research Unit, went into more detail with an overview of HSE’s Intellectual Property Policy in the context of  innovations and legal support in research and intellectual property. HSE Business Incubator’s expert and projects manager Tatyana Kulagina spoke about Russian universities experience in developing innovation startups, particularly at the Higher School of Economics. In the framework of the roundtable agenda Dirk Meissner  gave a presentation about the activities of the HSE ISSEK Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies and its Master's Programme 'Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation’.

The Maltese delegates expressed their readiness to cooperate with Russian corporations as professional entities in energy and innovations sectors  in new plants’ construction in Malta, to collaborate with the International Energy Agency and the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, and with the European Education Foundation, as well as their willingness to develop partnerships with the Higher School of Economics in designing new international study programs, bilateral visits and exchange of R&D publications.

The delegation members will also inform their colleagues from the University of Malta, Ministry of Education of Malta and their colleagues from energy and innovations sectors  about exchange and research opportunities in energy and innovations, international student projects (Summer University, Semester in Moscow etc), research conferences such as the annual April International Conference on Economic and Social Development and extra-curricular student activities offered by the Higher School of Economics.