A delegation from the Embassy and Consulate of the Republic of Ecuador visited Polytechnic University

On March 31, a delegation of the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow and the Consulate of the Republic of Ecuador in St. Petersburg visited Polytechnic University. The delegation was led by the Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow Sr. Juan Fernando Holguín Flores and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ecuador in St. Petersburg Sergei Voronkov. The guests of honor were introduced to the infrastructure of the SPbPU International Campus, met with international students from Ecuador and other Latin American countries and participated in negotiations with the Rector of SPbPU, RAS Academician Andrei Rudskoi.

The visit of the official delegation began at the International Campus of Polytechnic University, where representatives of the Embassy and the Consulate were able to see first-hand how the process of working with foreign students is carried out. The staff of the International Office and the Higher School of International Educational Programs conducted a tour of the classrooms, spoke about the modern technical equipment used in the educational process, the interaction between tutors and adapters with international students, and presented the potential of the renewed Admission Office, which integrates all of the information and communication services and the structural units of the International Office, responsible for the welcome and registration of foreign applicants, documentary support to students in the process of international student recruitment.

The visit to the International Campus concluded with a meeting between Sr. Juan Fernando Holguin Flores, Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow, and international students of SPbPU from Latin America, particularly Ecuador.

Today about 80 students from Latin America, including 28 from the Republic of Ecuador, are studying in various educational programs at the university. It is noteworthy that in St. Petersburg students from the Republic study at only two universities in the city, one of which is Polytechnic University. Students from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil and Chile also study at SPbPU. Many of them attended the meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador and shared their impressions about studying at SPbPU and about their life in St. Petersburg in general.

From the International Campus, a delegation from the Embassy and Consulate of the Republic of Ecuador went to the Main Building of Polytechnic University to participate in talks with Rector Andrei Rudskoi, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Andrey Rudskoi cordially greeted the guests of honor and emphasized that «there has always been a special bond between the Polytechnic University and the countries of Latin America.»

«Polytechnic University is a leader among Russian universities in scientific and educational activities implemented jointly with Ibero-American universities,» stressed the Rector of SPbPU. «I am sure that the current situation will only help us. I am sure that the current situation will only help us to strengthen and improve our relations both with Ecuadorian universities and with the entire Ibero-American community».

In a return greeting, Sr. Juan Fernando Holguin Flores, Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow, thanked the SPbPU administration for the warm welcome and stressed that it was especially important for him to see that foreign students at Polytechnic University were satisfied with the quality of education, living conditions and the level of support provided by the university in these difficult times.

During the talks the parties discussed activities aimed at the active development of educational cooperation. One of the important steps could be the opening of a joint Russian language center on the basis of the Cornejo Luis Enrique Cultural Foundation in Quito. It is planned that preparatory departments, advanced training courses will be created in it, and teachers of Russian and other subjects from Ecuador will be trained and retrained on the basis of the Republic’s partner universities. In addition, participants discussed the possibility of intensifying cooperation with the ESPOL Higher Polytechnic School, which began in 2011, as well as with other leading technical universities in Ecuador. Among the topical areas of cooperation are academic mobility of undergraduate and graduate students, joint projects in agriculture, waste recycling, water and air treatment, use of digital technologies in the mining industry, inviting lecturers and researchers for teaching and research activities.

Separately, the parties discussed the features of attracting students from Ecuador to study in the main educational programs of SPbPU, including doing that through the International Olympiad of the Global Universities Association Open Doors, which gives the opportunity to study for free in SPbPU graduate and postgraduate programs. In addition, the parties discussed cooperation on online education platforms and joint research in agriculture, biotechnology, renewable energy, water purification and waste management.

The visit of officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow and the Consulate of the Republic of Ecuador in St. Petersburg ended with a tour of the Main Building of the Polytechnic University and a visit to its main attractions.

Prepared by the SPbPU International Office