HSE University – St Petersburg Strengthens Academic Ties with France
On March 25, 2021, Mr Pascal Sliwanski, the Consul General of France in St Petersburg, and Mrs Eva Bertrand, Cooperation Adviser, paid a visit to HSE campus in St Petersburg to meet the team of the university and discuss collaboration prospects. The university was represented by Prof Sergey Kadochnikov, Prof Irina Shchemeleva, Prof Elena Rogova, Ms Elena Vandysheva and the team of the International Office.
After the welcoming speech and the short presentation of the campus, the participants discussed possible forms of collaboration with French educational institutions and the role of the Consulate General in strengthening these ties.
Prof Rogova and Prof Kadochnikov told the guests about a double-degree track in Finance Master´s programme with ESSCA School of Management, exchange programmes with the leading French universities, and the active participation of students from France in international projects, such as HSEIMUN (HSE International Model United Nations) and St. Petersburg Conference on Inequality and Diversity.
Representatives of the campus expressed strong interest in developing new academic partnerships with French institutions in the sphere of student and staff exchange, research and double-degree tracks (for instance, for the Bachelor´s programme in Political Science and World Politics). Currently, HSE University - St Petersburg cooperates with 15 French universities. Consul General confirmed his readiness to provide assistance in establishing partnerships; it was decided that the campus will prepare a proposal, describing the projects which can be supported by the Consulate General in St Petersburg.
One of the prospective platforms for developing joint projects is the French Club. This initiative is aimed at discussing relevant issues of the modern international relations, and has operated at the campus since 2018 under the supervision of Associate Professor Vera Ageeva and with the support of the Consulate General. The Club is a platform for the communication of French-speaking experts, lecturers and students.
The meeting allowed to discuss a lot of areas for prospective collaboration. The parties agreed to come up with more detailed project plans in the short run.