Scientific dialogue Russia – Armenia: results of SPbPU participation in the International Student Conference of RAU – 2026

At the end of April, the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade of SPbPU took an active part in the annual International Student Scientific Conference organized jointly with the Institute of Economics and Business of the Russian-Armenian University (RAU).

The event brought together students and teachers from the two countries on its platforms, becoming an important milestone in strengthening academic partnership and developing youth science. Within the framework of the conference, several joint sections worked, covering key areas of economics, management and digital transformation.

A delegation of students headed by the head of the Department of Economic Theory, Svetlana Golovkina, came to the conference at RAU.

The joint online section on enterprise management was conducted by the Graduate School of Industrial Management of IPME&T of SPbPU and the Department of Management and Business of the Russian-Armenian University.

Student speakers from the Graduate School of Industrial Management presented relevant reports, the topics of which reflected the profile of educational programmes: from management of oil and gas enterprises and management in construction to marketing, business administration and innovative industrial management. At the end of the section, a ceremony of awarding certificates to the speakers took place.

Also, within the framework of the conference, a section «Sustainable development of socio-economic systems in the context of digitalisation» was held, organised on the basis of the Graduate School of Industrial Economics of IPME&T. The section programme covered a wide range of topical areas — from macroeconomic analysis and financial innovations to behavioural economics and assessment of digital maturity of business.

The platforms of the Russian-Armenian University also hosted the sections «Production and consumption: current trends» and «Features of investment processes in the modern economy» chaired by Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Economic Theory and Problems of Transition Economy Irina Petrosyan. The Head of the Department of Economic Theory of SPbPU, Associate Professor Svetlana Golovkina took part in their work in person.

A special feature of the 2026 conference was the in-person participation of IPME&T students in events at the RAU venue in Yerevan. The reports «The influence of architecture and urban studies on the development of the creative economy» and «The influence of behavioural factors on the stock market» were presented. The works received positive feedback from RAU colleagues and became a contribution to the development of an interdisciplinary direction at the intersection of economics, sociology and urban planning.

In parallel with the student conference, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Theory of IPME&T Elena Vdovina conducted in-person classes on the professional development programme for teachers «Adaptation to a cross-cultural educational environment in the field of teaching economic disciplines in a foreign language». Based on the results of the training, assessment events were held and certificates confirming a new level of qualification for teachers from RAU were awarded.

The joint sections of IPME&T and RAU within the framework of the International Student Conference 2026 once again demonstrated the effectiveness of academic partnership. Together with foreign colleagues, SPbPU staff will continue to develop scientific dialogue, joining efforts to train a new generation of researchers and managers.