Polytechnic University hosted a delegation from India’s Lovely Professional University: outcomes of negotiations and new horizons for cooperation
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University hosted an official visit by a delegation from one of India’s largest private universities — Lovely Professional University (LPU). During the meeting, the parties not only discussed current partnership projects but also outlined steps to expand academic and scientific interaction in the coming years.
The LPU delegation was headed by Mr. Rahul Chhabra, Director of the International Relations Department. The visit began with a tour of the Polytechnic Supercomputer Center — one of Russia’s most powerful computing complexes. The guests learned about its capabilities, after which they took a sightseeing walk around the Main Academic Building and the university campus.
During the negotiations, several key areas were thoroughly elaborated. The parties discussed the possibility of launching joint educational programs. Particular interest was shown in SPbPU’s summer and winter schools — the largest in Russia in terms of the number of participants and countries represented. SPbPU representatives presented information on more than 40 courses across six fields (engineering, digital technologies, energy, social sciences, economics, and the Russian language). The possibility of Indian students participating in the International Winter University was also discussed.
Professor Olga Ergunova, founder of the International Competition SMART CITY 2030 and having many years of experience in cooperation with LPU, presented the results of the joint work between the universities. Among the key achievements are the publication of six collective monographs with IGI Global (Scopus), preparation of joint research articles, as well as the successful conferral of the status of visiting professors at LPU upon six faculty members from the SPbPU Graduate School of Industrial Management.
In furtherance of the agreements reached, LPU representatives invited SPbPU professors to take part in the Fifth Annual International Conference and Global Summit of LPU (AICGS-2026), which will be held in October 2026 in India. Participation in the event will allow the presentation of joint research results to the international academic community, expand professional contacts, and identify new areas of academic cooperation.
The parties discussed the «Student Marathon» project — an international online hackathon where interdisciplinary teams of students from different countries solve real technical challenges. Research internship programs in SPbPU laboratories for master’s and doctoral students were also presented, upon completion of which an international certificate is issued.
The meeting confirmed the commitment of both sides to take the partnership to a qualitatively new level — from implementing individual projects to comprehensive academic integration encompassing education, research, academic mobility, and innovation activities. It is expected that as early as autumn 2026, the universities will begin implementing pilot student exchange programs and new joint research initiatives.