Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting | St Petersburg University

International activities

At the Rector’s meetings, the international activities of St Petersburg University are regularly analysed (Minutes of the Rector’s meetings dated 15 August 2022; 22 August 2022; 29 August 2022; and 5 September 2022). According to Valeriia Malomuzh, Acting Deputy Rector for International Affairs, a number of new events took place last week.

Meeting between the Rector of St Petersburg University and the founder of the Lam Kin Chung Morning Sun Charity Fund

On 16 September, Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, met with Dr Lam Kin Chung, a Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist, the founder of the Lam Kin Chung Morning Sun Charity Fund. They discussed the University’s cooperation with Chinese universities and employers’ organisations, preparations for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, and initiatives to develop the University’s museum activities.

Public lecture by Japanese lawyer Takehiko Kawame

On 12 September, St Petersburg University held a public lecture by Japanese lawyer Takehiko Kawame on the principle of separation of religion and state. The subject of the lecture stemmed from the current political situation in Japan as well as the events surrounding the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During the lecture, Mr Kawame talked about the formation of religion in Japan and its influence on the political order of the country.

Previously, Mr Kawame had participated in the St Petersburg University Visiting Professors Programme and taught a course on "Labour Law of Russia and Japan" to students in the "Law (with Advanced Study of the Japanese Language and the Law of Japan)" academic programme.

Agreement between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and St Petersburg University

15 September saw a signing ceremony for the Visiting Professors programme at the Consulate General of India in St Petersburg. The event was attended by Mr Shri Kumar Gaurav, Consul General of India in St Petersburg, and representatives of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The agreement creates additional opportunities for academic cooperation. The first visit of a visiting professor from India is planned for the spring semester of the 2022/2023 academic year.

Lecture at the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain on the work of Vladimir Nabokov

On 15 September, the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain held an online lecture ‘Encyclopaedia of Russian and European culture: a novel by Vladimir Nabokov "Ada"’. It was delivered by Nina Shcherbak, Associate Professor in the Department of English Philology and Cultural Linguistics, a writer and a screenwriter.

The Graduate School of Occupational Safety opened at St Petersburg University

The new subdivision at St Petersburg University will train qualified senior and middle managers who are capable of organising a comfortable and safe working environment for employees. Ruben Karapetian, Associate Professor in the Department of Economic Sociology at St Petersburg University, has been appointed Director of the Graduate School of Occupational Safety. The School is meant to become the country’s largest platform aimed at solving research, methodological, teaching and practical issues related to occupational safety and health in Russia.

The Graduate School of Occupational Safety at St Petersburg University is a unique and unrivalled research and education institution. St Petersburg University experts will prepare a set of academic programmes. The first non-degree programme on occupational safety for managers will start this year. It will train experts who are capable of organising a safe workplace for Russia’s employed population. Additionally, the School’s specialists will carry out expert, analytical, advisory and project work (Director of the Graduate School of Occupational Safety at St Petersburg University: ‘There are no trifles in safety and health protection’).

Organisation of the teaching and learning process

Over the past week, the Virtual Reception received eight enquiries addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. Additionally, eight enquiries were registered in the student enquiry register. The enquiries were on various topics, including the training of foreign nationals in non-degree programmes at St Petersburg University.

According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, the information provided by the heads of academic and research subdivisions on the organisation of the teaching and learning process has been analysed. Classes are held according to the timetable. Most issues, including those related to the preparation of letters of recommendation, rescheduling of classes, and studying a third foreign language, have been resolved in due course.

The heads of academic and research subdivisions continue to hold meetings with student activists: group heads, and representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few. Over the past week, meetings were held with the heads of: the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Institute of History; the Institute of Philosophy; the Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty (the minutes of the meeting were not formalised and not submitted for publication); the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes; the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Faculty of Physics; the Faculty of Philology (the minutes of the meeting were not formalised and not submitted for publication); and the College of Physical Education and Sports, Economics and Technology (the minutes of the meeting were not formalised and not submitted for publication). The issue of scheduling adjustments was discussed and resolved with Sociology students. Students studying International Relations pointed out the technical difficulties associated with the distribution of second-year students into subgroups to study a second foreign language. This issue has also been resolved.

Vaccination (booster vaccination) of students against COVID-19

According to Order № 4430/1 dated 29 April 2021 "On informing St Petersburg University students about cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19)" (as supplemented and amended), St Petersburg University students should report about being fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19). According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, the information is submitted through the Student’s Personal Account. A banner is placed on the Student’s Personal Account to remind students about the need to enter data about vaccination.

№	Field of study	Of age students with vaccination, past disease certificates or medical exemption certificates
№	Field of study	as of 3 June 2022	as of 16 September 2022
1	Biology	45.93%	13.51%
2	Asian and African Studies	62.92%	17.13%
3	Journalism and Mass Communication	22.87%	9.15%
4	History	38.48%	13.09%
5	Cognitive Studies	35.29%	16.67%
6	Earth Sciences	45.35%	14.23%
7	Pedagogy	44.44%	8.24%
8	Competition Development and Antimonopoly Regulation	75%	33.33%
9	Philosophy	40.43%	12.34%
10	Chemistry	65.79%	29.32%
11	Arts	40.29%	19.72%
12	Mathematics and Computer Science	44.03%	12.66%
13	Mathematics and Mechanics	43.97%	17.12%
14	Medicine	48.58%	16.2%
15	Nursing	66.67%	28.85%
16	International Relations	36.99%	13.54%
17	Management	41.02%	15.11%
18	Political Science	35.18%	11.11%
19	Applied Mathematics and Control Processes	42.3%	17.7%
20	Psychology	38.99%	14.73%
21	Liberal Arts and Sciences	43.18%	17.84%
22	Sociology	36.36%	12.12%
23	Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	42.51%	14.23%
24	Physics	53.07%	19.58%
25	Physical Training (bachelor’s programme)	76.19%	25.45%
26	Physical Education (non-university level higher education)	39.65%	23.92%
27	Philology	45.44%	15.94%
28	Economics	28.75%	10.84%
29	Law	34.73%	11.14%
Overall		40.49%	14.78%

The percentage of students with vaccination, past disease certificates or medical exemption certificates is 14.78% as of 16 September. There has been a decrease in the proportion of vaccinated students.

Marina Lavrikova asked the heads of academic and research subdivisions to continue awareness-raising activities among students about the necessity of vaccination. She also asked to remind students of the necessity to submit data on vaccination.

It has also been reported that the University staff can be vaccinated (revaccinated) against influenza and COVID-19.

Meetings of the Rector with representatives of student councils

On 12 to 16 September 2022, Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev met with the members of the Presidium of the St Petersburg University Student Council, the Student Council of the Medical College; and the Student Council of the Institute of Philosophy.

During these meetings, a number of issues that concerned students were discussed. Among them were:

organisation of events for students living in the campus
approaches to the formation of student councils, the participation of representatives of student associations in the work of the student councils
interaction between the St Petersburg University staff and students
the work of the resources that publish the information related to the life of the University; and other issues

The Rector noted that among the main principles of the University’s activity is the principle of openness. Students are not always aware not only of their duties, but also of their rights. When students rely on informal sources to make decisions, they may form inaccurate and/or incorrect ideas about what is happening at the University. The Rector drew the attention of the members of the student councils to the fact that official information is regularly published on the St Petersburg University website and is sent to students and staff by corporate e-mail service. Everyone has an opportunity to get acquainted with the answers to the questions received by the officials of St Petersburg University through the Virtual Reception; the minutes of meetings with public; and the results of meetings with the heads of academic and research subdivisions to name just a few.

Extracurricular activities for students

On the night of 17 to 18 September 2022, a series of extracurricular entertainment events "Night legends and myths of the University" was held in the University buildings in the Petrodvortsovy District of St Petersburg. The event was held at the initiative of the cultural and mass committee of the Student Council of St Petersburg University and with the direct and active organisational participation of students who are the members of various student councils of the University’s academic and research subdivisions.

According to Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions Aleksandr Babich, from 8pm to 12 midnight on Saturday more than 300 students, most of them first-year students, took part in a team quest game on 16 thematic stations. The participants received souvenirs from the University as prizes and memorable gifts.

Everyone could take part in the Laser Tag game. It was organised in the sports hall at 28 Universitetsky Prospect by our partners from the Youth House of the Petrodvortsovy District of St Petersburg. After the games, students could listen to live music at the "Acoustics" song event or watch movies. At the end of the day, a disco was held in the building at 26 Universitetsky Prospect, which ended at 2 am.

Aleksandr Babich reported about high level of organisation of all events on the part of students who were the members of the organising committee. Admission to the events was carried out by prior registration. Student cards were verified and the special bracelets were given. Volunteers worked at all events to help participants get around the buildings and keep order.

Today, the issue of organising a cycle of extracurricular activities for students living in the halls of residence in the Petrodvortsovy District of St Petersburg is being discussed with students. The issue of holding large-scale festivals for students in May and September next year is being worked out.

Aleksandr Babich recalled that this weekend, 25 September 2022, the traditional sports festival "Peterhof Olympic" will be held. The following events will be held:

"Drag the mascot" (tug of war)
streetball competition
volleyball competition
workshops in women football
chess competition
eSports competitions
badminton competition
table tennis competition
athletics run "Peter’s Mile 1724"
football competition 6×6

Everyone is invited to join the sports festival "Peterhof Olympic". Detailed information about the festival can be found on the website.

Refusal to satisfy the claims for the recognition of the expulsion order as illegal

At the Rector’s meeting dated 11 October 2021, the issue of Elena Skvortsova’s expulsion from St Petersburg University was discussed, including the issues related to discussing her attempt to challenge the expulsion order in court. She studied in the Journalism bachelor’s programme (profile "Periodical Press") at St Petersburg University. In February 2021, she was expelled from the fourth year of study because she received an "unsatisfactory" grade from the assessment board during her second repeat examination in the academic discipline "Internship".

In May 2021, Elena Skvortsova filed a lawsuit with the Vasileostrovsky District Court of St Petersburg to invalidate the order to expel her, re-admit her as a student, and recover compensation for moral damage. The legality of the decision of the Vasileostrovsky District Court of St Petersburg was confirmed in cassation, i.e. in the third instance.

Regional competitions of the Russian Science Foundation for grants

The Russian Science Foundation accepts applications for two regional competitions for fundamental and exploratory research in priority areas of the Russian Science Foundation. Among these competitions are:

for small scientific groups (from two to four people) with funding up to 1.5 million roubles annually (the project implementation period is 2023 to 2024)
for individual scientific groups (from four to ten people) with funding from 4 to 7 million roubles annually (the project implementation period is 2023 to 2025)

As Vice-Rector for Research Sergey Mikushev said, the grants would be financed from the funds of the Russian Science Foundation (50%) and from the funds of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (50%). Planned amount of funding from St Petersburg in 2023 is as follows:

for small scientific groups − 15 million roubles (about 20 projects)
for individual research groups − 35 million roubles (about 10 projects with annual funding of 7 million roubles)

The purpose of the regional competitions is to support fundamental research and exploratory research aimed at solving the problems of socio-economic development of St Petersburg. Grant applications should contain information about the tasks that will be solved by the relevant research. Applicants, in addition to the application to the Russian Science Foundation, must also submit copies of the application in printed and electronic form to the St Petersburg Science Foundation. The deadline for accepting applications is 5pm on 10 October 2022.

The competition for small scientific groups is held for the second time. At the Rector’s meeting dated 21 March 2022, the results of the first competition were announced. According to the results, St Petersburg University took second place in St Petersburg in terms of the number of supported projects.

The Russian Science Foundation is currently accepting applications for a competition to conduct research on the basis of the existing world-class scientific infrastructure of the presidential programme of research projects implemented by leading scholars, including young scholars.

Grants are allocated for the implementation of basic research and exploratory research in 2023–2026. A subsequent extension of the project is possible for up to three years. During the implementation of the projects submitted for the competition, large objects of scientific infrastructure located in the Russian Federation should be used. The "Research Park of St Petersburg University" is registered at the Russian Science Foundation’s application system and is available for selection as scientific infrastructure.

The amount of one grant is 4 to 7 million roubles annually. The deadline for accepting applications is 5pm on 15 October 2022.

For questions about submitting applications, you can contact the Department for Coordinating and Supporting Grants and Scientific Awards of the Research Support Service by phone +7 812 363-60-98.

Results of the competition for grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation to ensure joint research with organisations from the BRICS countries

14 September 2022 saw the publication of the results of the competition of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for the grants in the field of science. They are in the form of subsidies from the federal budget to ensure research by Russian scientific organisations and (or) educational organisations of higher education together with organisations of the BRICS countries as part of the implementation of the programme of bilateral and multilateral scientific-technological interaction.

As Vice-Rector for Research Sergey Mikushev said, 87 applications were submitted for the competition, and 83 were admitted for participation. The leading positions in terms of the number of applications submitted / admitted to the competition from universities are as follows: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University (7 applications); Lomonosov Moscow State University (5 applications); St Petersburg University (4 applications); and ITMO University (4 applications).

According to the results of the competition, 33 projects were supported. Two projects each (the maximum number) will be carried out at the following organisations: Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Lomonosov Moscow State University; St Petersburg University; Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University; Federal Research Centre of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences; and South Federal University.

In 2022–2024, the following projects will be implemented at St Petersburg University:

"New photoactive nanomaterials for integrated environmental and energy applications" (the project Lead is Alexei Emeline, Professor in the Department of Photonics). The partners are: North China Electric Power University (People’s Republic of China) and the Federal University of Uberlândia (Federative Republic of Brazil). The goal of the project is to develop innovative integrated systems that combine the purification of the environment from pollutants and the production of renewable energy (chemical fuel) as a result of the photochemical conversion of solar energy using purposefully created new highly efficient photocatalysts. The amount of financing is 12 million roubles for the entire period of the project
"Development and study of innovative functional biofood packaging" (the Project Lead is Anastasia Penkova, Professor in the Department of Analytical Chemistry). The partners are: South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (South Africa); the University of Limpopo (South Africa); Mahatma Gandhi University (India); the Federal University of Uberlândia (Brazil); and the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (Brazil). The goal of the project is to obtain and study an innovative eco-friendly nanocomposite for the creation of functional (smart) bio-based food packaging films containing an antimicrobial plant extract to improve the safety and shelf life of food products and allow moving on to the creation of new types of scientific and technical products that have a lower impact on environment. The amount of financing is 4 million roubles for the entire period of the project

The meeting participants congratulated their colleagues and wished them every success in research.

Live surgeries performed by St Petersburg University surgeons at the 30th Congress of the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons

Scientists from St Petersburg University have taken part in the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons (WSCTS) congress. It was held in St Petersburg for the first time. St Petersburg University experts performed live surgeries for the congress participants and talked about their special features and what complications might occur during such operations. They also answered their colleagues’ questions.

This year, for the first time, St Petersburg University was one of the congress co-organisers. Among the congress attendees were 1,270 delegates from Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the UK, Uzbekistan, the USA, and Vietnam. More than 4,000 experts participated in the congress remotely.

Piotr Yablonsky is WSCTS Congress President, Vice-Rector for Medical Activities at St Petersburg University, Chief External Expert in Thoracic Surgery of the Russian Ministry of Health, Surgeon-in-Chief of the Health Committee of the Government of St Petersburg, and Honoured Physician of the Russian Federation. He performed the repeated and complex surgery for pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. The operation was performed on a patient whose one lung was collapsed due to improper treatment of tuberculosis, and the infection had spread due to pus filling. The two-stage approach made it possible to avoid complications from the bronchial stump and safely remove the purulent element.

Vadim Pischik, Professor in the Department of Hospital Surgery at St Petersburg University, showed a recording of a thoracoscopic segmental resection through a small incision, which he had performed on the eve of the congress. Such operations are globally regarded as rather complicated and infrequent. They are also performed by surgeons from Japan and China. Vadim Pischik is the first surgeon to perform such a segmental resection through a small incision with navigation using a special substance. The operation was performed on a patient with bilateral lung cancer.

Another complicated operation was performed by Dmitrii Shmatov, Professor in the Department of Hospital Surgery at St Petersburg University and a cardiovascular surgeon at the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technology at St Petersburg University. During the congress, the surgeon showed footage from an aortic valve replacement and supracoronary aortic replacement via ministernotomy for a patient with an ascending aortic aneurysm. The operation was carried out unconventionally, through a mini-access, i.e. through a small (about five centimetres) incision (St Petersburg University surgeons perform live surgeries at the 30th Congress of the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons).

Professor Tatiana Chernigovskaya awarded the prize of the International Film Festival The World of Knowledge

On 14 September 2022, Lenfilm hosted an opening ceremony of the 17th International Film Festival of Popular Science and Educational Films The World of Knowledge in St Petersburg. A special prize "For the popularisation of science by means of scientific and research cinema" was awarded to Professor Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies at St Petersburg University.

Tatiana Chernigovskaya is one of the most famous educators and enlighteners in Russia. Her speeches are gaining millions of listeners. The St Petersburg University Professor is the author and participant of numerous popular science TV programmes and films (Tatiana Chernigovskaya wins a prize of the international film festival The World of Knowledge).

The International Film Festival The World of Knowledge is an interdisciplinary project at the intersection of science and art. Its goal is the wide dissemination of scientific and research cinema and the creation of new opportunities for self-realisation of directors and artists. This year’s international competition programme included films from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Russia, and other countries.

Personnel changes

St Petersburg University has established the Main Department for Exhibitions, Museum, Library and Publishing Activities. Elena Lebedkina, Director of the St Petersburg University Publishing House, has been appointed Head of the Department.