SPbPU at the International Congress of Higher Education in Havana

A delegation of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University took part in the 13th International Congress of Higher Education «University and Innovation fon Inclusive Sustainable Development», which was held in Havana (Cuba) from February 7 to 11. Organizers were the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education and major Cuban universities. The congress was attended by representatives of more than 30 leading organizations, not only from the Ibero-American region but also from European countries (from Spain and Portugal to Scandinavia) and the Asian region. Among the speakers invited were experts from the Regional Network for the Internationalization of Education in Latin America, the UNESCO International Institute, and other major universities and organizations from around the world. With many of them, the SPbPU delegation participated in business meetings and negotiations, in particular — with the Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, Jose Ramon Saborido LOIDI, who noted SPbPU’s contribution to the development of cooperation between Russia and Cuba during the last visit of Polytechnics in 2020.

As part of the development of cooperation with the Ibero-American region, it is very important and valuable for Polytechnic University to see the interest of the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education and leading Cuban universities and organizations in expanding the partnership with SPbPU. Of course, the participation of our Polytechnic delegation in the International Congress in Havana gave our university additional possibilities for realization of new joint projects in education and science and partnership with Cuban colleagues, underlined Professor Dmitry ARSENIEV, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU.

The 13th International Congress of Higher Education was held for the first time in a hybrid format and included online and offline presentations. There were four papers in four symposia from Polytechnic University, two of which were presented in person. Proceedings of the congress will be published.

At the 16th International Workshop «Higher Education and its Perspectives,» the scientific group of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics, and Trade (IIMET) made a report «An effect on regional economic development by universities» (authors — Irina Rudskaya, Dmitry Rodionov, Daria Velichenkova). The speakers noted that in today’s world universities perform not only the functions of scientific and educational institutions, but also subjects of regional development, and have a significant impact on the formation of the economic and financial potential of a particular region.

I would like to note the versatile format of the event, thanks to which we were not only involved in topical discussions about the role of modern universities in economic development but also took part in a series of business meetings and negotiations with leading universities in Cuba and international organizations involved in supporting the development of educational systems of Spanish-speaking countries, which, I am sure, will have prospects for strengthening current partnerships and establishing new ones, said Dmitry RODIONOV, director of the Higher School of Engineering and Economics of the IIMET.

The Director of the Higher School of International Educational Programs Victor KRASNOSCHEKOV made a speech «Russian universities in the international distance learning market» within the framework of the 9th International Workshop «Virtualization in Higher Education» (co-authors — Dmitry Arsenyev, Tatiana Kovalenko). Victor presented the landscape of Russian distance education from the international perspective and analyzed the countries and regions of the world that are promising for cooperation in the field of distance and blended learning, focusing on the development of joint programs with partner universities. He also shared his experience in developing and implementing various distance learning models for Chinese students in light of the importance of educational cooperation between Russia and China.

The report «Transformation of national programs for internationalization of higher education» prepared by the team of international services (authors — Dmitry Arsenyev, Ekaterina Belyaevskaya, Nikita Golovin, Svetlana Kalikina) was devoted to current trends in the internationalization of higher education and the development of new strategies for university development until 2030. The research group presented the national program for supporting science and education Priority 2030, launched in Russia in 2021. Several main aspects of changes in the national programs of different countries in the direction of internationalization, such as international student mobility and the change of focus concerning the scientific and practical approach, were discussed in the paper.

Pavel NEDELKO, the assistant vice-rector for international activities of SPbPU, shared Polytechnic University University’s experience in the presentation «Participation of Latin American students in student organizations of Russian universities». The presentation emphasized the role of Latin American students in the development of an adaptation system for foreign nationals at the university, and their contribution to the activities of two SPbPU volunteer organizations: Tutor Forces and PolyUnion International Student Club.

As a part of the Congress business program, SPbPU representatives held a series of negotiations and working meetings with colleagues from Cuban universities — Universities of Havana, Moa, Oriente, Las Tunas, and others. Official meetings were held with the Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russian Embassy in Havana, and representatives of the Jose Antonio Echeverria University of Technology in Havana, a key partner of SPbPU in Cuba. Polytechnics presented possible directions of joint research projects and educational programs of SPbPU, programs of the preparatory department, and discussed possibilities of joint training of Cuban students for admission to Polytechnic. The parties stressed the importance of organizing student exchanges and staff development programs, creating joint educational interdisciplinary programs, including in partnership with universities in Europe, Spain, and Portugal. Representatives of the Graduate School of Engineering and Economics of the IIMET invited Cuban colleagues to publish joint publications in the new international scientific journal of SPbPU «Sustainable Development and Engineering Economics» and joint participation in international conferences.

Prepared by the SPbPU International Office