The delegation from Hungary visited SPbPU

At the direction of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, a visit by representatives of the Hungarian Consulate and Embassy in Russia took place at Polytechnic University, aimed at restoring academic and scientific cooperation.

The delegation included Mr. Béla Bátori, Deputy Consul General of Hungary in St. Petersburg, and Mr. András Marfi, Attaché for Education, Science, and Technology at the Hungarian Embassy in Russia. The visit was organized on the initiative of the Hungarian Consulate General in St. Petersburg. Despite the complex international situation, the Hungarian representatives particularly emphasized that science and education should remain outside of politics. András Marfi and Béla Bátori noted that Hungary is consistently seeking opportunities to develop interaction and preserve existing achievements in academic cooperation tracks with Russian universities, within the available formats of international cooperation.

Dmitry Arseniev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, and staff from international departments overseeing international cooperation and academic mobility participated in the negotiations on behalf of SPbPU. The meeting was constructive and focused on finding practical ways to intensify interaction between the universities of the two countries.

The central topic of discussion was scholarship support programs for students from Russia and Hungary. The existing positive dynamics were noted. SPbPU provided detailed information about opportunities for Hungarian students in Russia, including quotas from the Russian Government and the unique project of the Global Universities Association — the international Olympiad «Open Doors: Russian Scholarship». Victory in this Olympiad grants the right to free tuition in bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD programs at any leading Russian university, including SPbPU, regardless of allocated quotas.

The parties discussed the resumption of student and faculty exchange programs, as well as prospects for creating joint educational programs, particularly in engineering, economics, and biomedicine. The Russian side emphasized its readiness to sign new inter-university agreements, which will be preliminarily coordinated with the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Dmitry Arseniev recalled the long-standing and strong ties between SPbPU and Hungarian colleagues, particularly with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

An important step in developing the dialogue will be the upcoming meeting of the Russian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission in Moscow in December 2025, where a separate working group on higher education will operate. Representatives from the leadership of universities in both countries are expected to participate.

The delegation’s visit became a significant practical step towards establishing direct contacts between the academic circles of Russia and Hungary. The parties agreed to intensify interaction in exploring opportunities for scientific and educational cooperation.