In this interview, Guillermo Sosa-Gómez, Associate Researcher at Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education (RepLab) and a member of the Academic Council of the Master's programme "Social Entrepreneurship and Innovations", reflects on the social mission of universities, the role of social entrepreneurship in contemporary higher education, and the importance of international academic cooperation. The conversation also explores the challenges of measuring social impact and the development of joint research initiatives between Russia and Mexico.

As part of International Partnership Week, an international expert session, "Rethinking Higher Education: Fifth-Generation University, Service-Learning, and a Human-Centered Social Impact Agenda," was held.

The Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education at HSE University – St. Petersburg during the international conference "The Human-Centered University: Forging the Fifth-Generation University through Social Mission, Entrepreneurship, and the Solidarity Economy" has presented the Russian-language edition of the book "Bridging Horizons: Social Entrepreneurship in Malaysia and Russia". Originally published in English, the book is the result of a joint research project between HSE University – St. Petersburg and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and aims to make the findings accessible to a broader Russian-speaking audience.

During HSE's International Partnership Week in St. Petersburg, an updated manifesto for the Consortium of Satellite Labs for Social Entrepreneurship was signed. UPAEP—the Popular Autonomous University of Puebla (Mexico) and the University of Piura, Lima Campus (Peru) — officially joined the international research network. This brings the consortium's membership to nine universities from seven countries: Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

As part of the HSE St. Petersburg International Partnership Week, the laboratory organized a conference dedicated to the fifth-generation university, the social mission of universities, and sustainable development. Researchers from Russia, Asia, and Latin America discussed new models of university engagement with society and presented their research on the social mission of universities and social entrepreneurship.

At a regular expert meeting of the consortium of mirror laboratories on social entrepreneurship, participants discussed the preparation of a scientific monograph on social entrepreneurship, the opening of a laboratory representative office in Brazil, and the upcoming conference "Human-Centered University."

The laboratory, represented by analyst Polina Mironova, participated in the all-Russian festival of technological projects, HSE FEST 2026. Participation allowed the participants to learn about innovative and socially oriented projects and expand their professional contacts.

The Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education participated in the first district seminar-meeting "Service-Learning: Practices and Partners," presenting a methodological framework in which service-learning is viewed not as a separate pedagogical technology, but as a tool for institutionalizing the university's social mission.

HSE University has opened a representation office of the Satellite Laboratory on Social Entrepreneurship and the Social Mission of Universities at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Limeira, Brazil. The new platform will serve as a space for joint research and the development of practice-oriented solutions.

Representatives of the HSE St. Petersburg  Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education participated in the 2nd All-Russian Forum "Business with Heart," where they discussed the development of social entrepreneurship and tools for scaling inclusive practices.