SPbU works together in partnership with the Coimbra Group, an association of long-established European universities

Nikolay M. Kropachev, Rector of St. Petersburg State University, met the representatives of the Coimbra Group to discuss further collaboration between the first University in Russia and the Association of the long-established European universities.

One of the domains of activity is to provide support for student academic mobility programs. The focus should be on how to gather momentum in increasing the chances of student academic mobility, said Nikolay M. Kropachev, Rector of SPbU. Rector suggested enhancing cooperation by arranging student conferences related to particular issues. The representatives of the Association of the long-established European universities encouraged the initiative.

Dorothy Kelly, the Chair of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group, said that the Coimbra (in Coimbra, Erasmus programs account for approximately 20% of the overall mobility) is intended to shift the focus towards the research sphere, namely to involve more researchers into the academic community and enhance partnerships between the researchers. Dorothy Kelly outlined two strategies intended to achieve this goal: to arrange conferences and to enhance mobility at the institutional level.

The Chair of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group was delighted to welcome St. Petersburg University as a member of the Coimbra Group and said that St. Petersburg Stet University is actively involved in the life of the Coimbra Group.

Dorothy Kelly also said that SPbU is more than welcome at the Coimbra Group Annual Conference held in Istanbul on June 2, 2015, and hoped that Rector of SPbU would take part in both General Assembly and Panel Discussion with a focus on developing partnership and creating networks on behalf of the Association of the leading universities in Russia as the Chairman of the Association.

Founded in 1985, the Coimbra Group is an association of the long-established European universities, committed to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote internationalisation, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, joint research etc.  It is also the purpose of the Group to influence European educational policy and to develop best practice through mutual exchange of experience. Since 2011, St. Petersburg State University is a member of the Coimbra Group.