Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting | St Petersburg University

International activities

The following events were recently held at St Petersburg University.

Event at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain

On 12 March, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Kingdom of Spain held the online lecture "Science and religion: searching psychophysiological foundations of religious experience". The lecture was delivered by Daria Podvigina, Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Cognitive Studies at St Petersburg University.

Meeting with representatives of the Social Research Centre of the Republic of Azerbaijan

On 12 March, a meeting of St Petersburg University representatives with representatives of the Social Research Centre of the Republic of Azerbaijan was held via videoconference. Professor Elshad Mirbashir, Board Member of the Social Research Centre and Member of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, presented the Centre’s activities and current projects. It was agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation and to hold open lectures for the University’s staff and students by Professor Elshad Mirbashir.

Meeting with representatives of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan

On 14 March, a meeting of St Petersburg University representatives with representatives of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan was held via videoconference. The parties discussed ways of organising cooperation and agreed to sign a cooperation agreement.

Event at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Thailand

On 14 March, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Kingdom of Thailand held the online lecture "Variation of the English language: a case study of Yorkshire dialect". The lecture was delivered by Svetlana Kudria, Assistant Professor in the Department of English Philology and Cultural Linguistics.

Activities of the Korea-Russia Dialogue Forum

On 14 March, Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, Chairman of the Russian Coordinating Committee of the Korea-Russia Dialogue Forum, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, met via videoconference with Georgy Zinoviev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Korea. The event was also attended by: the heads of the working groups of the Forum "Education and Science" and "Youth Dialogue" Iurii Marfin and Vladimir Filippov; Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea Aleksandr Masaltsev; and representative of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) Petr Ruzankin.

Agreement with Beijing Xing’ou International Education Consulting Co., Ltd. on conducting state testing in Russian as a foreign language

A contract has been signed between St Petersburg University and Beijing Xing’ou International Education Consulting Co., Ltd. (the People’s Republic of China) to conduct state testing in Russian as a foreign language. The text of the agreement can be found on the St Petersburg University portal in the list of Partner Universities.

Participants in the World Youth Festival visit St Petersburg University

Delegates from different countries of the world who are ready to learn about other countries and develop international dialogue have visited St Petersburg University as part of the regional programme of the World Youth Festival — the largest youth event in Russia.

The events of the Festival’s main programme took place at the beginning of March at the Sirius Educational Centre. Then, 2,000 participants travelled to 30 Russian cities — St Petersburg, Moscow, Sevastopol, Ekaterinburg, Kislovodsk and many others — to get to know Russia’s regions, their cultural assets, historical heritage and national diversity.

In St Petersburg, the participants had an opportunity to visit the oldest university in Russia. At St Petersburg University, the guests were welcomed by Natalia Chechina, Deputy Governor of St Petersburg. The meeting was attended by young people aged 18-35 from Nepal, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, the Republic of Korea, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Switzerland, Hungary, Greece, Georgia, and other countries.

Nikolay Kropachev is Rector of St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairperson of the St Petersburg Regional Branch of the Russian Society "Znanie", a lecturer of the Russian Society "Znanie". He spoke in detail about St Petersburg University, which is celebrating its anniversary this year: "300 years of the University’s history is a story of innovation, discovery, challenge and achievement! From the very beginning, our University has been the alma mater of outstanding minds, the cradle of schools of thought and the guardian of knowledge".

The Rector noted that today St Petersburg University is one of the two leading national classical universities in Russia and one of the largest research and educational centres in the world. Currently, more than 27,000 students from over 100 countries are studying at the University, and one in six of them is a foreigner.

Nikolay Kropachev also spoke about: St Petersburg University’s victories in grant competitions, including in cooperation with colleagues from abroad; the University’s museums and collections, which hold more than 3 million exhibits; and its Scientific Library, which holds more than 7 million publications and the best electronic scientific resources in Russia. Nikolay Kropachev also mentioned the results of the University’s implementation of digital formats. For example, St Petersburg University is the leader in Russia in terms of the number of online courses it has developed. Today, there are more than 500 of them, and the total audience has long since exceeded 4 million people worldwide.

The participants in the meeting asked the Rector of St Petersburg University to expand academic mobility programmes with universities in China, Kazakhstan and Latin America. Nikolay Kropachev stressed that the University is open to students from any country and is ready to cooperate with universities throughout the world: "We are on friendly terms with everyone who is ready to be on friendly terms with us".

The programme for the St Petersburg day of the festival also included a tour of the St Petersburg University building on 22nd Line, Vasilyevsky Island, where law students study. The guests also had an opportunity to take a photo in the chair of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was a member of the Academic Council of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University. Vladimir Putin studied at the Faculty of Law at the University, and afterwards worked as Assistant to the Rector for International Affairs. Already being President, he visited his alma mater: he met with students, attended scholarly meetings, conferences and roundtable discussions. In 2003, for example, together with Gerhard Schröder and Jacques Chirac, he took part in the international conference "Peace, Security and International Law" held at St Petersburg University.

Also, the participants were able to visit the office of Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the University Board of Trustees and a graduate of St Petersburg University. Dmitry Medvedev taught at the University in the 1990s, delivering lectures and seminars on civil and Roman law. 3.

Organisation of the teaching and learning process

Over the period from 11 March to 15 March, 23 enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. The majority of enquiries relate to preparation of various documents, and transfer to St Petersburg University. An analysis of the information on the organisation of the teaching and learning process provided by the heads of academic and research subdivisions has been carried out. Classes are held in due order according to the timetable.

Over the past week, meetings were held with student activists: group heads, and representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few. They discussed issues with organising the teaching and learning process. The meetings were held at: the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Institute of Medicine; the Institute of Philosophy; the Institute of Chemistry; the School of International Relations; the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes; the Faculty of Psychology; the Faculty of Sociology; the Faculty of Physics; the Faculty of Philology; and the College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology. Issues raised by students at such meetings are dealt with by specified heads in the prescribed manner.

The Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation

On 28 February 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the new "Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation (Executive Order No 145 dated 28 February 2024)". The Strategy defines the goals, main tasks and priorities of the Russia’s scientific and technological development for the period until 2030 and stipulates the directions of the state policy in this area and measures for their implementation. The goal of the scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation is to ensure the independence and competitiveness of the country through developing an effective system for building up and making the fullest use of the national intellectual potential.

Achieving this goal is ensured by solving a number of main tasks. Among them are the following: creating opportunities for identifying talented youth and building a successful career in the field of science; creating conditions for research and development that comply with the current principles of organising scientific, technical, and innovative activities and the best Russian and world practices; forming an effective communication system in the field of science, technology and innovation; forming an effective management system in the field of science, technology and innovation; and forming a model of international scientific and technical cooperation and ensuring international integration in the field of research and technological development to protect the identity of the Russian scientific sphere and the state interests through ensuring mutually beneficial international cooperation.

The fundamental principle of the state policy in the field of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation is targeted support and fair competition: the use of public mechanisms to ensure access to the state infrastructure and financial and non-financial resources for the most productive research teams.

According to Nikolai Skvortsov, Professor, Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of the Academic Council at St Petersburg University, Dean of the Faculty of Sociology, the strategy highlights the special status of fundamental science, emphasising the key role of fundamental research in preparing the national scientific and technological sector for new big challenges.

The academic and research subdivisions and services at St Petersburg University will have to ensure that their activities comply with the goals, objectives and priorities set in the strategy. In this regard, it is necessary:

to ensure that the research activities of scholars and research teams focus on the topics that correspond to the priority areas stated in the strategy (in relation to the relevant areas of knowledge); for this purpose, it is necessary to instruct the heads of faculties and institutes to conduct, together with scientific committees, an analysis of research activities in terms of their compliance with the priorities stated in the strategy
to analyse and revise the topics of candidate and doctoral dissertations, and master’s graduation projects in terms of compliance with the priority directions of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation stated in the strategy
to take into account the priorities stated in the strategy when preparing applications for grant support for St Petersburg University research projects sent to scientific foundations
to be guided by the priorities stated in the strategy when organising internal competitions for research grants from St Petersburg University
to supplement employment contracts of academic staff with a clause on the obligation to take into account the priorities of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation in their research activities
to increase the share of fundamental research in the total volume (list) of research projects and technological developments carried out at St Petersburg University
to ensure international scientific collaboration of St Petersburg University on the basis of mutually beneficial forms of research cooperation and in accordance with our own priorities
to take into account the increasing relevance of interdisciplinary scientific research within the framework of "synthetic scientific disciplines created at the intersection of psychology, sociology, political science, history and scientific research related to the ethical aspects of scientific and technological development, changes in social, political and economic relations"; and
to create opportunities to identify and educate talented young people, build successful careers in the field of science, technology and technological entrepreneurship

Due to the special importance of the document, all participants in the meeting were instructed to submit proposals on the draft instructions to vice-rectors, heads of departments, and heads of the academic and research subdivisions in the near future. After this, the draft instructions and proposals will be discussed at the Rector’s meeting. The Rector emphasised that the heads of the academic and research subdivisions should initiate a discussion at dean’s/director’s meetings or meetings of academic councils to discuss the main provisions of the strategy, i.e. goals, objectives, principles, priorities in relation to the profile and subject field of the research activities of the institute or faculty.

Early-career researcher from St Petersburg University obtains a state housing certificate

St Petersburg University began accepting applications for the issuance of state housing certificates from 1 February. Applications can be submitted by the members of academic staff who belong to the category of early-career researchers. The certificates entitle them to receive social benefits intended for the acquisition of residential real estate.

According to Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources at St Petersburg University, Dinara Ivanova, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics of Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at St Petersburg University, was among the early-career researchers who received state housing certificates, which entitle them to receive social payments intended for the acquisition of residential real estate.

At the end of 2023, the housing committee at St Petersburg University concluded that Dinara Ivanova needed to improve housing conditions and to receive social benefits for buying a property. Taking into account the high assessment of the results of the research and teaching activities of Dinara Ivanova, she was included by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation among the participants in the federal state programme for providing housing for early-career researchers.

The implementation of the corresponding programme continues. More information about the requirements and rules for participation in the programme can be found on the website of St Petersburg University.

Construction of the first facilities in the Area of St Petersburg University Development

The strategic project of St Petersburg and St Petersburg University to develop the Area of St Petersburg University Development and the Neva Delta Innovative Science and Technology Centre consists of two parts. Among them are the following:

The first part involves the formation of the Area of St Petersburg University Development, i.e. a single space with cutting-edge educational and scientific infrastructure for the implementation of St Petersburg University’s main activities
The second part of the project is the creation of the Neva Delta Innovative Science and Technology Centre, located in close proximity to the Area of ecosystem development for the implementation and commercialisation of the developments of scholars from both St Petersburg University and other organisations

The goal of the project is to create conditions for the most effective use of the potential of students, academic staff, scholars, graduates and partners of St Petersburg University to benefit St Petersburg, the Leningrad Region, the Northwestern region, the entire education and science system by creating a unique university complex integrated into the surrounding urban environment.

The concept for the creation and placement of objects of the Area of St Petersburg University Development was developed by the interdepartmental working group established by Order No DM-P17-8600 dated 30 November 2013 of Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St Petersburg University. The chairman of the interdepartmental working group is Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

According to Daniil Engelke, Vice-Rector for Capital Construction at St Petersburg University, in 2019 and 2020 the University was allocated a budget for the development of design estimates for the capital construction project "Design and construction of facilities in the Area of St Petersburg University Development".

The documentation was developed in 2020 to 2022. A positive final report from the Glavgosexpertiza of Russia was received in April 2022.

How the project has been developing has been regularly discussed at the meetings of the Board of Trustees of St Petersburg University.

On 27 February, the Government of the Russian Federation issued Executive Order No 430-r on amending the list of capital construction projects, events (enlarged investment projects), real estate objects, which is part of the document system of the comprehensive state programme of the Russian Federation "Construction". The list of capital construction projects includes the object "Design and construction of facilities in the Area of St Petersburg University Development".

In the near future, as part of Federal Law No 44-FZ "On the contract system in the field of procurement of goods, works, services to meet state and municipal needs" dated 5 April 2013, a competition will be announced. The competition is 'Construction and installation work of a capital construction project "Design and construction of facilities in the Area of St Petersburg University Development. Stage I of construction. Substage 1.1. Academic building No 3, maintenance service building".' The project implies the construction of two buildings: academic building No 3 and a maintenance service building. The initial (maximum) price of the contract is more than three billion roubles (3,045,485,635).

The meeting participants discussed the advantages of building the Neva Delta Innovation Science and Technology Centre near the Area of St Petersburg University Development. They also discussed the possibilities of attracting partners to work in this technological valley.

Updated website pr.spbu.ru

The website pr.spbu.ru was launched on 11 March in a new format. The website presents key image materials about St Petersburg University (corporate style, presentation templates, photographs of interiors and exteriors to name just a few) and recommendations for working with information channels.

According to Dmitriy Shishmakov, Head of the Marketing and Media Communication Department at St Petersburg University, the website provides access to various options for the University logos, presentation templates, electronic screensavers, diplomas, badges, and certificates. The materials are accompanied by explanations on how to use them. It also provides answers to the following questions: "How to prepare for filming?"; "Where to start developing a website?"; "How to become one of the authors of the magazine?"; and "How to moderate the University’s communities on social media?" to name just a few.

You can also use the website to contact specialists from the Marketing and Media Communication Department: ask a question; send news for a post; report research findings and/or other achievements; order branded products; and also submit an application for filming at the University.

New website about the results of intellectual activity of the University "St Petersburg University in action"

At the beginning of 2024, St Petersburg University opened a Technology Transfer Department as part of the Marketing and Media Communication Department. The goal and task of the department is to identify and introduce into the market promising scientific developments of inventions and technologies of scholars, students and graduates of St Petersburg University, which will become part of a successful Russian business.

According to Dmitriy Shishmakov, Head of the Marketing and Media Communication Department at St Petersburg University, to this end, the University opened a new information channel, aimed at potential partners of the University who are ready to take part in the development of the results of intellectual activity, i.e. "St Petersburg University in action". The website publishes materials about the most promising applied developments, inventions, projects of experts, scholars, students and graduates of the University in the most rapidly developing sectors of the economy.

The goal of the University’s new website is to enable the ideas of St Petersburg University to go into action.

The website is intended for those who are looking for new products to develop their business, who want to receive services based on a scientific approach that guarantees high quality. The ideas presented on the website can help entrepreneurs and representatives of the public sector: reduce costs; save resources and more efficiently build business and production processes, including at large industrial enterprises; and solve the problems of import substitution. The website is, on the one hand, a catalogue of key developments, inventions, services, start-ups and small innovative enterprises of St Petersburg University. On the other hand, it is a media platform.

The website provides an opportunity for the authors and project managers to share cases on how to design and implement their ideas and for the experts to share their opinions on market trends and industry analytics.

The website will also become a communication channel between business and scholars. Entrepreneurs can get some information about finished products and leave a request for the development of a cutting-edge technological solution tailored to the individual requirements of the company and using the scientific infrastructure of St Petersburg University. Developers, in turn, have the opportunity to submit a request to publish information about their product or service.

Cloud services of foreign companies

According to Vladimir Starostenko, Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation and Information Security at St Petersburg University, the University has been systematically working to replace software from foreign companies with Russia’s products. In particular, as part of the import substitution programme, the University has successfully tested and used the video conferencing service "Webinar (MTS-Link)", integrated with educational process support platforms.

In connection with the possible blocking of the MS Teams platform and cloud services of Amazon, Google and Microsoft (such as OneDrive and Google Work Space) in Russia on 20 March, it is strongly recommended to save existing data to avoid the loss of personal and business information.

To create backup copies of files and documents by saving them to your computer, laptop, or using data storage devices such as an external hard drive or a flash drive
You can also use alternative personal cloud services to store backups, such as Yandex.Disk or Mail.ru Cloud

Recommendations for saving data from cloud resources can be found here:

As an alternative to using cloud MS Teams in the teaching and learning process, it is proposed to use the St Petersburg University learning management system where you can hold online meetings in the integrated video conferencing service "Webinar (MTS-Link)". The organisation of the teaching and learning process in the system is regulated by Order No 4306/1 dated 19 August 2014 "On the new edition of the procedure for registering academic courses in the Blackboard system of St Petersburg University, approved by Order No 452/1 dated 13 February 2014".

To conduct events using video conferencing, including organising and holding internal meetings of St Petersburg University employees, it is recommended to use the Webinar platform (MTS-Link). The rules for providing access are regulated by Order No 14398/1 "On approval of the Technical Regulations for holding internal meetings using the video conferencing system at St Petersburg University" dated 27 December 2022.

A corresponding information e-mail was sent to St Petersburg University employees.

If you encounter any difficulties, please contact the technical support service:

through the application registration system
by email support@spbu.ru
by phone +7 (812) 363—60—30