SPbPU experts held a project session on elaboration of the Development Program of the Russian-Armenian University

Polytechnic University continues to actively cooperate with the development teams of Slavic universities. In the last week of May, SPbPU experts held a Project Analysis Session at the Russian-Armenian University (RAU) to prepare the RAU Development Program for 2026-2030.

The work started with familiarization with the key educational and scientific divisions of RAU and discussion of the goals and objectives of the session with RAU Rector Edward Sandoyan. At the meeting with the Rector Nikita Golovin briefly presented the format of the session and the expected results. In his turn, the Rector described his vision of the RAU development directions, existing barriers and ways to overcome them.

Further, during 3 days the team of SPbPU experts and the RAU development team consistently built the future image of RAU. The participants of the session were divided into 4 thematic groups — education, research, human capital and economy, infrastructure and digitalization — and in 3 tacts they went from analyzing the current results to forming the ambition and target model in 2030. Each tact began with an introductory speech by SPbPU experts, which defined methodological approaches to the design of the development program, principles of interconnection of different processes of the university, tasks for the tact and expected results. At each tact, SPbPU experts accompanied the group work, actively involving the participants in the discussion, sharing their own experience and examples that could be taken into account in the development of the university’s fundamental policies. Elena Vinogradova and Natalia Ivanova worked with the group on economic and infrastructure policy and human capital management policy. Ekaterina Pavlova joined the discussions on RAU educational policy, and Nikita Golovin built communication in the group on research policy and accompanied the work of all 4 groups, encouraging colleagues from RAU to talk openly about the current positions of RAU, barriers to development and ways to overcome them. After each stage of the group work, the leaders of the RAU thematic groups presented the results of the group work at the plenary session and answered the questions of their colleagues from other groups, as well as questions and judgments of the Polytechnic University experts.

On the last day of the PAS the groups presented summarizing reports, in which they described the current positions of RAU in 4 directions of activity, the image of the target model of the university and the steps aimed at its achievement. All groups were unanimous that RAU is a research classical university (educational-scientific-technological center) with a wide range of directions, having an interstate status. Certainly, to achieve this goal there is still much to be rethought, changed and launched. But the RAU has all the necessary base and, most importantly, the desire of the team to change.

Further there is to be painstaking work on drawing up the Development Program document, defining target characteristics and target indicators in order to present and defend its Development Program to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia in autumn 2025.