Universities as Catalysts for Social Change: HSE’s Participation in the Summer Workshop “Service Learning – 2025” on the Theme “Alga Service Learning” in Kazan

On June 26, 2025, Kazan hosted the Summer Workshop “Service Learning – 2025,” a key event in the field of socially oriented education, organized by the Center for the Development of Public Projects “Service Learning” at Kazan State Power Engineering University. The event brought together around 100 participants, including students, faculty members, and representatives of the non-profit sector, business, and government.

The workshop was opened by Olga Viktorovna Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. In her welcome address, she noted:

“I welcome the participants of the Summer Workshop ‘Alga—Service Learning 2025’ in the Republic of Tatarstan. The workshop has brought together students, faculty, and representatives from NGOs, the business sector, and the public sector – approximately 100 people in total.

Colleagues are summing up the results of the spring semester: students are presenting their projects that address real social challenges and receiving feedback from partners. This year, the Republic has demonstrated a high level of engagement, with more than 4,500 students already participating in the program. Tatarstan is actively developing the service learning approach. Practices are being integrated into the educational process, cross-sector teams are being formed, and experiences are being shared among them. The Summer Workshop is yet another essential step on this path.”

Special attention was given to the expert plenary session at the workshop, moderated by Professor Varvara Yuryevna Kulkova, Doctor of Economics, from Kazan State Power Engineering University. The keynote presentation, “Universities as Incubators of Social Innovation: Higher Education and Service Learning as Catalysts for Social Entrepreneurship”, was delivered by Magdalena A. Gaete-Sepúlveda, Head of the Project and Teaching Laboratory for Reputation Management in Education at HSE University – Saint Petersburg.

In her address, she highlighted the transformative role of universities in contemporary societies and the potential of service learning as a bridge between knowledge and action. Magdalena presented the concept of the Fifth Generation University (5GU) as an institution that can become an incubator for human-centered social innovation. She distinguished between two main models of the 5GU — the classical and the socially oriented — with a focus on the latter. This model envisions the university as a platform uniting education, entrepreneurship, and social mission. Service learning, she noted, serves as a vital link between academic knowledge, sustainability values, and real practices of social impact.

Among the key aspects she presented were:

• the human-centered model of social entrepreneurship;

• The Third Mission methodology for universities (mission–model–mechanisms);

• mechanisms for engaging external stakeholders and developing sustainable social partnerships;

• universities’ intangible assets as the foundation for the third mission.

The workshop was supported by the Civic Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “ASSI,” and the Tatneft Charitable Foundation. The Chair of the Civic Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan, Zilya Rakhimyanovna Valeeva, delivered a welcome address, emphasizing the importance of institutional support for initiatives that combine youth engagement, education, and the real needs of local communities. The workshop marked a significant step toward strengthening cross-sector partnerships and fostering a culture of social responsibility in Russian universities.