St Petersburg City Government and St Petersburg University partner up

At this time, cooperation between the city government and St Petersburg University is conducted in a wide range of areas, including the training of personnel, research and technological development projects, expert activities, sociological research and much more. As part of the agreement, the two parties will combine their efforts to come up with new educational and research-oriented projects.

‘The task of achieving technological sovereignty and import substitution, which was set by the President, can be accomplished only with the help of qualified personnel,’ noted Mr Beglov. ‘You have to start preparing them at school. To include schools in this research-based, technological ransformation, we need strong partners. Last year, a unique educational project was launched in St Petersburg, ProfStart, which establishes pre-professional laboratories in schools. This year, it was decided to double the financing up to a billion roubles. Already by the end of the year, a hundred schools will have not only state-of-the-art laboratories, but also permanent partners, in the form of our leading universities and businesses.’

‘St Petersburg University has a wealth of experience in the realisation of educational projects and initiatives. This is not, however, the only area of cooperation with the city government that holds promise,’ declared Mr Kropachev. ‘In order for the St Petersburg City Government to have the relevant information they need to make decisions and to analyse the socio-economic processes taking place in the region, we will engage St Petersburg University experts working in a variety of subject areas.’

I am confident that the unique professional, intellectual and scholarly potential of the University will further contribute to the introduction of effective management practices in our region, and specifically in education.

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences

This agreement will make it possible to raise cooperation between the city’s educational organisations and the University to a new level when it comes to offering profession-oriented classes in schools and arranging career guidance events for schoolchildren. It will also provide an opportunity for specialists working in the field of education to constantly exchange experience and participate in joint projects.

In closing the ceremony, the Governor of St Petersburg Alexander Beglov presented the Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev with a token commemorating the 350th anniversary of the birth of Peter the Great.

It should be noted that St Petersburg University pays special attention to the development of a system for assessing the quality of education. In September 2020, the St Petersburg University Centre for Monitoring the Quality of Education was established. Specialists at the Centre carry out sociological research, which involves all participants in the educational process, from applicants and graduates to teachers and employers’ representatives.