St Petersburg University discusses prospects for cooperation with Hong Kong City University
A meeting with the delegation of the City University of Hong Kong (China) was held at St Petersburg University, during which issues of the development of interaction in the spheres of education and science were considered.
Greeting the guests of the University, Ilya Dementyev, the First Vice-Rector of St Petersburg University, noted that the two universities have good prospects to continue their joint work. In 2012, St Petersburg University and the City University of Hong Kong signed a framework agreement on cooperation, thanks to which they managed to establish academic exchanges, mainly in the fields of mathematics, physics and astronomy. Ilya Dementyev said that, despite the outstanding successes in the cooperation of the two universities in engineering and engineering sciences, it is important to pay attention to other areas. Now scientists from the City University of Hong Kong are actively engaged in research in the fields of biochemistry, genetics, medicine and neuroscience. St Petersburg University also has a wealth of experience in these fields, which means that they can be promising for student exchange and joint scientific research.
Another topic of the talks was an increase in the intensity of academic mobility and an increase in the interest of students to participate in exchanges. St Petersburg University provided its students with the opportunity to take into consideration the results and periods of study in foreign universities. Ilya Dementyev suggested starting a joint research programme that would attract the attention of students and cause a desire to visit a partner scientific group at another university. The source of funding for such a project can be found in funds that provide grants for joint research. In addition, scientific interaction can form the basis for launching a joint PhD programme. As a starting point for the beginning of cooperation, the president and honorary professor of the City University of Hong Kong, Mr. Wai Ko, suggested organising a visit for the professors of St Petersburg University to get acquainted with educational programmes and research projects.
During the meeting, the development of exchanges for students who compete for the sports teams of their universities was also discussed. This kind of academic mobility will allow students to come for a semester to the City University of Hong Kong, and in parallel with the basic training classes to attend lectures, as well as take part in interuniversity competitions. The students will be able to choose the most suitable team for them, and if they show themselves well, they will be able to apply for a scholarship.
Following the talks, the parties agreed to exchange materials on their educational programmes.