Polytechnic University expands Slavic horizon

The Kyrgyz Republic hosted celebrations dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after the First President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin, in which a delegation of SPbPU headed by Rector Andrey Rudskiy took part.

On October 12, the central event was the panel discussion «Slavic University 2050: Prospects and Priorities» held under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. The panelists included heads of Slavic universities, Russian coordinators of cooperation between SPbPU and SFU, as well as representative delegations of industrial partners.

Congratulating KRSU on its anniversary, Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, thanked the university staff for their dedicated work and fruitful labor.

«KRSU would not have taken place without the joint efforts of Russian and Kyrgyz partner universities, which all these years have contributed to your university’s dynamic development. Starting this year, additional funding for the development program will be separately implemented. The strategic priority for the university by 2030 is training of personnel in engineering specialties. And the task is to strengthen this direction in the near future», — said Valery Nikolayevich.

Also, according to Valery Falkov, special attention should be paid to the training of medical and pedagogical staff for all levels.

Acting Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva offered words of congratulations and encouragement for successful long-term development: «KRSU is one of the first universities established by presidential decree. The government and the head of state support the initiative of strengthening intercultural cooperation with the Russian Federation, we will work in this direction confidently, successfully, with results. This anniversary will be a milestone for making new decisions, new tasks and new ambitions».

After the welcoming words and congratulations, Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy spoke: «I hope that today will go down in history not only as a glorious 30th anniversary of the University. We are at one of those nodal points when crucial decisions are made. Our task today is not just to discuss the long-term development prospects of KRSU, but to clearly define the role and significance of the Slavic Universities, that brotherhood of universities of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which has developed in recent years. I am firmly convinced that we should look at such an association not in the paradigm of bilateral partnerships, but in the paradigm of a single space, a single organism in which there is a constant exchange of the best ideas, innovations and methods, in which inter-national multilateral projects can be realized».

Polytechnic University has accumulated significant potential over the years of cooperation with Slavic universities. The strategic partnership with Belarusian-Russian and Russian-Armenian Universities has given Polytechnic a significant impetus in its development and the start of the most interesting projects. Together, BRU, RAU and SPbPU have defined new approaches to solving urgent scientific problems and introducing advanced educational methods, to uniting youth communities and humanitarian cooperation.

In spring 2023, the first Summit of Slavic Universities was held in Polytechnic, one of the main leitmotifs of which was the idea that Slavic universities are now entering a new stage of development — taking on an integrative, system-forming function, acting as outposts of Russian education in friendly countries.

Responding to the wish expressed by Minister Valery Falkov, Andrei Rudskoi noted that Polytechnic University is fully open to cooperation and ready to offer its competencies and knowledge in the field of advanced engineering education not only to KRSU, but also to other Slavic universities. In fact, Polytechnic, as the flagship Russian university, is ready to take on the functions of mentoring over this area of development of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. Specific proposals for Polytechnic’s partnership with the Faculty of Science and Technology of KRSU were announced.

The panel discussion was followed by the signing ceremony of the agreement on scientific and educational cooperation. Rector of SPbPU Andrei Rudskoi and acting rector of KRSU Denis Fomin-Nilov, signing the joint document, agreed that they will develop scientific and educational cooperation in such areas as technical physics, electronics, mechanics, renewable energy, transportation systems, construction, digital engineering.

«Only through joint efforts, with the support of our Ministries, in constant contact, exchanging innovations and advanced methods, we will be able to achieve our ambitious goals and make Slavic Universities real cross-national cross-border universities — supporting universities of Russian education abroad. I am confident that this model of cooperation and partnership will inspire new countries to join our community and expand the Slavic brotherhood», — summarized the visit of Andrei Rudskoy.

On October 13, our delegation, including Dmitry Arsenyev, Vice-Rector for International Relations of SPbPU, and Nikita Golovin, Deputy Head of the International Education Department, took part in the Third Forum of Rectors of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the city of Osh.

The Forum was organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, as well as with the support of the Association of Higher Education Institutions of Kyrgyzstan and the Union of Rectors of the Russian Federation. It was attended by more than 100 rectors of higher education institutions of Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

The Rectors’ Forum was held in the context of the CIS Council of Heads of State, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at the plenary session of the forum, Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, emphasized: «Holding the third forum is a direct response to the tasks set by the heads of state. It is a response of the scientific and educational community for a deeper understanding of each other’s interests and exchange of experience, knowledge and technologies».

He also thanked the leadership of Kyrgyzstan, including the Ministry of Education and Science, represented by Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva for their interest in expanding the presence of Russian universities.

The forum included three panel sessions: training for the development of the EAEU economy, science and innovation in modern universities, and pedagogy of the future: new methods of training and education.

Polytechnic University has a long history of joint work with the I. Razzakov Kyrgyz State Technical University, Osh State University, M.M. Adyshev Osh Technological University.

«Cooperation with Kyrgyzstan is one of the important strategic directions of international cooperation. Polytechnic, with its experience and accumulated potential, has a lot to share with foreign colleagues. We have very good partners in Kyrgyzstan, yesterday we signed a new agreement with KRSU. These contacts open up great prospects both for fundamental scientific cooperation and for involving young people, realizing the potential of young scientists and student initiatives», — said Dmitry Arseniev, Vice-Rector for International affairs of SPbPU.

More than 50 agreements between Russian and Kyrgyz universities were signed during the forum. The participants assessed the possibilities of intensifying inter-university cooperation in the field of academic mobility of students and teachers, development and implementation of joint educational programs, advanced training and professional retraining. Youth forums, summer and winter schools and other educational and cultural integration events were actively discussed.