Reconciling roadmaps: visit of the Russian-Armenian University delegation to Polytechnic University

On September 5, a delegation from the Russian-Armenian University (RAU), headed by Vice-Rector for International Cooperation Sergey Kapinos, paid a working visit to SPbPU.

For many years SPbPU has been a strategic partner of RAU, an expert and coordinator of development programs within the framework of the Slavic Universities project. In April 2023, the first Summit of Slavic Universities «Slavic Horizon 2023» was held on the basis of SPbPU, where RAU successfully defended its development program for 2023-2025.

The visit was primarily devoted to summarizing the interim results and outcomes of joint activities, in accordance with the common programs and roadmaps, as well as identifying new directions for the next 2-3 years.

Traditionally, the visit of the foreign delegation began with familiarization with the historical part of the campus and the Main Academic Building. The guests were impressed by the potential and scale of Polytechnic University’s Fundamental Library, the grandeur of the White Hall, and the exhibits of the Museum of SPbPU History. The tour of the campus was continued with a visit to the Hydro Tower and the «Boiling Point» space, as well as the main laboratories of the Technopolis Polytechnic Research Building.

The official part of the visit was opened by a working seminar, where the scientific groups of SPbPU and RAU jointly presented the results of the implemented projects. Dmitry Arsenyev, Vice-Rector for International Relations of SPbPU, opening the seminar, expressed his desire not only to evaluate the existing cooperation, but also to be energized by new ideas and discuss new joint areas of activity, including the educational component:

Today we want to compare the maps — what experience we have accumulated, what basis we have today, what we have achieved, how we have progressed on the roadmap. But the most important and responsible task is to outline plans for the future. We must seriously strengthen the mobility of students. Joint youth schools, joint programs will be a good tool for this.

The most active cooperation in recent years has been in the fields of biomedicine and life sciences, as well as semiconductor physics, microelectronics, and space technologies. Internships and exchanges have been conducted, more than 30 articles have been published in leading scientific journals, teaching aids have been prepared, and joint conferences have been held. Special attention is paid to cooperation in the field of postgraduate studies and dissertation councils. Mutual participation of SPbPU and RAU scientists in dissertation councils has already been ensured in the field of «Semiconductor Physics». SPbPU has conducted a number of advanced training programs for RAU specialists, including «Formation of students’ digital competencies using modern information technologies for business». Expert and methodological support of the RAU development program for the period of 2023-25 is constantly provided.

The right to open the reports at the seminar was given to the scientific group of physicists. Alexander Korotkov, Director of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of SPbPU, together with Hayk Sargsyan, Director of the Engineering Physics Institute of RAU, presented impressive results of many years of joint work in the form of grants, publications, academic exchanges, and lecture series. Our universities see a huge potential for the development of bilateral relations. At the meeting, proposals were voiced to expand the cooperation of scientific groups to the sphere of economy and business, including educational and methodological issues. Irina Petrosyan, Head of the RAU Department of Economic Theory and Problems of Economy in Transition, proposed to the colleagues from SPbPU to hold a joint conference in spring 2024

The official meeting ended with the ceremonial signing of the Roadmap for the introduction of the course «Fundamentals of Project Activities» at RAU. The document was signed by Elena Razinkina, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of SPbPU, and Marina Khachatryan, RAU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs.

Over the long years of cooperation with Polytechnic, RAU has received support for all our endeavors, said Marina Khachatryan, now we have entered a new phase. In addition to the two directions, which have been interacting very successfully over the past years, now we are entering completely new sectoral levels and areas of interaction. I hope that everything we have discussed and outlined today will be launched in the near future. We have recorded the experience of the «Boiling Point» of SPbPU in our development program. We are very interested in the development of the joint project ‘Fundamentals of Project Activities’. Also, we are very much looking forward to launching several educational programs and strengthening student mobility next year.

The course on project activity is a unique development of SPbPU, and we are happy to share our competencies with our friends from Armenia. Already in the fall our specialists will conduct the first training sessions for future mentors of student projects from RAU. I am sure that this course will help introduce the atmosphere of entrepreneurship and teamwork in the student community of Yerevan, emphasized Elena Razinkina while summarizing the results of the bilateral meeting.

Sergey Redko, Director of the Graduate School of Project Activity and Innovation in Industry, together with his colleagues discussed in detail the plan of immediate actions for the implementation of the FPA course in accordance with the signed document — the first module of work in Yerevan is scheduled for November 6-10.

The official meeting was continued with working meetings in the institutes and laboratories of SPbPU. The colleagues from RAU visited the IBS&B building and advanced laboratories of the institute. Olga Vlasova, Director of the Graduate School of Biomedical Systems and Technologies, and Lernik Unanyan, Head of the Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory of the RAU Institute of Biomedicine and Pharmacy, discussed the results of joint scientific work and the potential for staff training, joint postgraduate and doctoral studies in the field of biomedicine and bioinformatics.

Gevorg Danagulyan, biologist, head of the Laboratory of Bioactive Azoheterocycles of RAU, corresponding member of NAS RA presented one of the directions, which has been actively developed in the last years in RAU: «Method of selective introduction of deuterium label into bioactive azolopyrimidines». The interest in academic exchanges and in holding a scientific youth conference on patenting and intellectual property protection was also expressed during the meeting of RAU Vice-Rector Sergey Kapinos with the Director of the Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Ismail Kadiev. In the talks between the RAU leaders and the Director of the Humanitarian Institute Natalia Chicherina, the ideas on the development of joint educational programs, cultural and humanitarian exchanges were voiced.

A separate meeting was held between Serine Misisisyan and Vladimir Glukhov, Heads of the RAU and SPbPU Rectors’ Offices. The issues of university management organization, including the specifics of digitalization of business processes, implementation and efficiency of electronic document management, were the subject of a lively discussion. During the visit to IPME&T SPbPU, plans for 2023 and 2024 were concretized — among other things, invitation of leading foreign scientific and pedagogical staff from RAU to SPbPU, organization of youth schools. The RAU delegation was able to familiarize itself with the recently opened Gazprom Neft Information Technology and Business Analysis Center.

Irina Rudskaya, Director of the Information Center, presenting the achievements of the Center to the guests, noted: Today the issue of targeted training of highly qualified personnel for industrial partners is extremely acute, and we promptly respond to the challenges of the time. Three corporate master’s degree programs in partnership with the company are already being implemented in our NPC. The competition is about 18 people per place and Gazprom Neft is interested in expanding the range of programs. This proves the positive dynamics of our experience, and we will be glad to share it with our colleagues from RAU. After all, in Armenia, the trend for corporate educational programs will only grow, the industry needs specialists trained in the best universities.

Sergey Kapinos brought a festive note to the working atmosphere of the meetings: on behalf of the RAU Academic Council, Dmitry Arseniev was awarded the RAU Gold Medal for his great personal contribution to the development and strengthening of fruitful cooperation in the field of education and science between the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

In addition, the special title of «Honorary Chevalier of the RAU Friends Club» was awarded to Nikita Golovin, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department, for his great contribution to the development of fruitful cooperation between SPbPU and RAU.