St Petersburg University and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University sign a cooperation agreement

The international forum brought together Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University; and representatives of about 100 leading universities in Russia and Kazakhstan.

The venue for the forum was Al Farabi Kazakh National University, the leading university in Kazakhstan and one of the largest educational institutions in Central Asia.

Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, drew attention to the importance of cooperation between countries in the training of high-calibre specialists. "We have a lot in common with Kazakhstan. We have established both friendly and business relations and many similar trends. Today, we are interested in expanding scientific cooperation with Kazakhstan. We are very pleased that Russian universities are successfully operating in this country," he said.

The mutually beneficial relations between the two countries specifically focus on scientific and cultural exchange between educational institutions. Academic staff at St Petersburg University actively participate in joint research projects and publications with colleagues from Kazakhstan, which is confirmed by the 119 publications co-authored with colleagues from 32 scientific centres and educational institutions of the partner country.

According to Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University, the development of cooperation in the educational and scientific area with the Republic of Kazakhstan is strategically important for the Russian Federation. "St Petersburg University offers a non-degree programme for professional retraining Executive MBA «Strategic Management and Leadership» together with Almaty Management University. The programme is being implemented online using distance learning technologies. We receive educational credentials from both universities," he said. 

Sergey Andryushin also focused on the need to train professionals in the field of digital economy. 'By decision of Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, the special working group "Digital Economy in Academic Programmes" has been functioning since 2017, which includes members of the academic staff at St Petersburg University and external experts. As part of the strategy for developing digital skills among students, St Petersburg University cooperates with partner employers to update information about the needs of the labour market and provide practical training opportunities for students,' he said.

St Petersburg University has partnerships with eight universities and research organisations in Kazakhstan, including Kazakh-Russian International University, the Institute of Linguistics named after Akhmet Baitursynuly, and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. As part of the Network University of the Commonwealth of Independent States, St Petersburg University offers the master’s programme "Russian Language and Literature" with Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

During the forum, Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, said that long-term and fruitful cooperation in the field of science and higher education had been established between Kazakhstan and Russia. "There are 1,700 contracts signed by universities and institutes of Kazakhstan and Russia. There are 25 joint scientific projects that are being successfully implemented. We are interested in further deepening our fraternal relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of science and higher education. I consider it necessary to mobilise joint ideas and proposals and develop an action plan," the minister said.