Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting
Meeting of the Presidential Council for Science and Education of the Russian Federation
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has held a meeting of the Presidential Council for Science and Education via videoconference. The meeting was attended by rectors of leading classical universities (Lomonosov Moscow State University and St Petersburg University), ministers, governors, and heads of state corporations and businesses. The issues in providing priority areas of scientific and technological development with engineering personnel were discussed. The agenda included issues in technological education, and training of engineering personnel and skilled workers to ensure the implementation of national projects for the technological leadership of the Russian Federation.
The goal is set very specifically. In the sphere of technological development, Russia must be competitive in key areas. This requires specialists capable of generating unique solutions, including for new, emerging industries, who are ready to use advanced design and engineering methods.
According to Anastasia Yarmosh, Senior Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership at St Petersburg University, the University is actively involved in the implementation of the set tasks. Among them are the following: cooperation, development of mechanisms for cooperation between universities and regions (for example, since 2020, St Petersburg University has been implementing the programme for promoting regional development ‘Mendeleev Research and Educational Cluster’). Forecasting the training of personnel and the development of competencies laid down in the academic programmes at the University to meet the needs of the economy in five years follows the logic of graduation years. It is also essential to change approaches to admission quotas, focus on the implementation of national projects of technological leadership, and shift towards improving the quality of admissions to study on a fee-paying basis. Among the goals are ensuring the seamlessness of the transition ‘School — University — Industry’, maintaining a high standard of teaching school subjects necessary for admission to engineering specialties, and providing training in dual-qualification programmes, with the second qualification being a teacher of physics, mathematics, chemistry, or biology. Moreover, it is necessary to ensure early career guidance and involvement of schoolchildren in the world of science and technology. Special attention was paid to the system of additional professional education. The topics of additional professional education should be in demand and meet market requirements.
Directors and deans have been instructed to submit their proposals for the participation of St Petersburg University in the implementation of the set tasks of providing priority areas of scientific and technological development with engineering personnel.
Events dedicated to the Day of St Petersburg University
On the Day of Russian Science, St Petersburg University celebrated its 301st anniversary. Now, the University celebrates this holiday with the whole city. 8 February has been included in the law on holidays and memorable dates celebrated in St Petersburg.
The University was founded on 28 January (8 February, new style) 1724. On this day, Emperor Peter the Great issued a decree establishing the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences and the University. In the year of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, the city government approved a bill amending the law ‘On holidays and memorable dates in St Petersburg’. Now, along with the city’s foundation day and other city celebrations, residents of St Petersburg celebrate the Day of St Petersburg University.
The events dedicated to the foundation of St Petersburg University began with the Divine Liturgy and a festive prayer service in the restored and newly consecrated Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul located in the Twelve Collegia building. The service was conducted by Archpriest Pyotr Mukhin, Rector of the Resurrection Smolny Cathedral, Dean of churches in universities of the St Petersburg diocese and Senior Priest of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Not only the University staff and students, but also residents of St Petersburg, came to share the joy of common prayer. ‘Great people who built and made discoveries worked and studied at our University. And today, not only we, but the whole world benefits from the foundations they laid. The three-hundred-year path of St Petersburg University testifies to the fact that it is not just a special university, but an amazing temple in which divine accomplishment opens the mind to knowledge of the world,’ said Archpriest Pyotr Mukhin.
Out of the nearly 400 priests working in St Petersburg churches, 25 are graduates of St Petersburg University. Some of them took part in the service dedicated to the anniversary of St Petersburg University. Vladimir Vasilik, Protodeacon, Professor in the Department of History of Slavic and Balkan Countries at St Petersburg University, congratulated his alma mater on the holiday and donated his works to the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University. The publications are dedicated to philosophy and theology in the works of Alexander Pushkin, and the spiritual origins of the Victory in World War II. Among the donated books are also translations of Christian poetry of the first millennium.
On the 301st anniversary of St Petersburg University, a midday shot was fired from the cannon of the Peter and Paul Fortress. According to Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev, this tradition has long been an integral part of the unique culture of St Petersburg, and the University is one of the main symbols of the Northern Capital of Russia.
‘The University staff, students and graduates bear a great responsibility: we must live up to the status of a unique scientific and educational complex that is of great importance for the development of Russian society. Thanks to the contribution of every member of the University staff, student, and graduate, we confidently maintain the high standards set by our predecessors and reach new heights in the spheres of science, education, and culture. Throughout its rich history, the University has skilfully combined traditions with innovations and constant development. I am confident that new achievements and great discoveries await us ahead,’ said the Rector.
Among those who were invited to take part in the ceremonial event in the Peter and Paul Fortress were: Yuri Natochin, Honorary Professor of St Petersburg University, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who initiated the creation of the Faculty of Medicine at the University and became its first Dean; and Elena Tupikina, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at St Petersburg University, who successfully combines advanced research, the introduction of educational innovations, and mentoring work.
Elena Tupikina heads the calculation group in the Professor Peter Tolstoy’s laboratory for non-valent interactions at St Petersburg University. She is the head of grants of the Russian Science Foundation and the President of the Russian Federation. She has developed several original courses, including the programme ‘Digital Chemistry’, aimed at teaching students to use modern computer modelling techniques to solve problems of the chemical industry. The scientist is a member of the teaching methodology committee and acts as the organiser and member of the jury of the St Petersburg University School Olympiad in Physics. The research team, which includes Elena Tupikina, is engaged in quantum-chemical and molecular dynamics modelling, which allows predicting the behaviour of molecular systems with non-covalent interactions.
A series of events dedicated to the anniversary of St Petersburg University started on 5 February with the opening of the exhibition ‘St Petersburg University: 300 years of service to the Fatherland’ in the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg. As part of the celebration, the University will host exhibitions, popular science lectures and workshops. The full programme of the events is published on the St Petersburg University website.
‘Architectural palimpsest: St Petersburg University’ opened in the Exhibition Hall of the Twelve Collegia building, and an exhibition dedicated to outstanding University staff and students — Nobel laureates — opened in the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University. The Dom Universitetskoi Knigi (University Book House) presented the catalogue of the exhibition ‘The University artists of the 20th and 21st centuries’, held by the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art at St Petersburg University.
To celebrate the anniversary of St Petersburg University, the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library opened the multimedia exhibition ‘Mr Student of St Petersburg Imperial University’ dedicated to students of pre-revolutionary Russia, and prepared a special collection dedicated to the history of the University.
On the day of the foundation of St Petersburg University, the Applicant’s Day, a large-scale event, was held for schoolchildren, students and their parents, where everyone could get acquainted with the academic programmes of all levels of preparation, and learn about the advantages of studying at St Petersburg University and about the admission procedure in 2025.
An exhibition of student works and graduation projects of students in academic programmes in the areas of ‘Graphics’, ‘Design’ and ‘Painting’ was opened especially for guests in the corridor of the Twelve Collegia building. The exhibition is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Graphic Design programme at St Petersburg University and the 15th anniversary of the Faculty of Arts. In the building of St Petersburg University located at 26, 1st Line of Vasilyevsky Island, where future journalists and specialists in the field of advertising study, a photo exhibition titled ‘My University’ was opened.
In honour of the holiday, an open day of museums and collections of St Petersburg University was organised for applicants. A round table titled ‘Living tradition of the University philology’, dedicated to the philological dynasties of Leningrad State University (St Petersburg University) was held in the Turkish Cabinet. The day ended with a festive concert: the creative groups of St Petersburg University performed in the Assembly Hall of the Twelve Collegia building.
Organisation of the teaching and learning process
Over the past week, 51 enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. The majority of enquiries relate to preparation of various documents. Winter interim assessment is over. At the time of the meeting, students were still on holiday. The second semester started on 11 February.
Schedule of activities to prepare for the 2025/2026 academic year in the field of educational and methodological support and organisation of work with personnel
In order to ensure the timely organisation of preparations for the new 2025/2026 academic year, a schedule of events for educational and methodological support and the organisation of work with personnel has been approved (Order No 974/1 dated 3 February 2025). The schedule sets out activities, including the selection of teaching assignments for the 2025/2026 academic year by academic staff via the electronic service ‘Teaching at St Petersburg University’ within the ‘Learning’ information system, which will take place from 11 to 24 February, and the approval by academic supervisors of academic programmes of the selected teachers and/or proposals of candidates for teaching assignments for the 2025/2026 academic year — from 25 February to 9 March, among other events.
Laura Useinova, Vice-Rector for Human Resources at St Petersburg University, noted the need to strictly adhere to the deadlines for self-registration for disciplines, drew the attention of directors and deans to the importance of monitoring the selection and approval of teaching candidates, and reminded about the need to comply with the standards for teaching hours for the relevant positions.
Opening of a new division of the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University
The Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University has opened a new division in the Kirovsky District of St Petersburg. The clinic’s medical and diagnostic centre (5 Stachek Square) is located next to the Narvskaya metro station. St Petersburg residents and visitors can use the services of highly qualified specialists and receive outpatient medical care for early diagnosis and disease prevention.
In the medical complex, practising doctors, medical researchers, specialists in clinical research, pharmacologists, biotechnologists, and specialists in cell technology will work in close scientific and practical collaboration. This was reported by the Chief Physician of the St Petersburg University Clinic, Dmitry Shkarupa. He said: ‘This will allow the development and implementation in clinical practice of treatment protocols using mesenchymal stem cells and their secretion products, which opens up a whole range of new therapeutic possibilities in dental medicine and maxillofacial surgery, traumatology and orthopaedics, surgery, regenerative medicine, urology, neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, in the treatment of autoimmune, neurodegenerative diseases, liver and kidney diseases, and many others.’
The clinic has doctors of various specialisations: allergists, immunologists, gastroenterologists, nutritionists, haematologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, oncologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists, neurologists, reflexologists, massage specialists, therapists, cardiovascular surgeons, ultrasound and functional diagnostics specialists, surgeons, endocrinologists, and psychotherapists. It is possible to get a full laboratory and ultrasound diagnostics, and visit the treatment and massage rooms. Patients are offered therapy in a day hospital.
The 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Modern antimonopoly regulation of the economy: instruments for improving legislation’
St Petersburg University has held the 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Modern antimonopoly regulation of the economy: instruments for improving legislation’. This year, more than 90 experts took part in the conference. Among them were the following: representatives of science and higher education, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union, the State Duma, business community, and practising lawyers. The participants discussed innovative instruments of market pricing, development vectors, conceptual approaches and smart instruments of antimonopoly regulation of the economy, issues in digitalisation and unification of property auctions in Russia, and constitutional and legal support for the rights of citizens to receive and disseminate information.
During the conference, Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev was awarded the medal ‘For the protection of competition’ of the Federal Antimonopoly Service for his significant contribution to the development of freedom of competition and effective protection of entrepreneurship. Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, was awarded an honorary certificate for assistance in solving the tasks assigned to the Federal Antimonopoly Service.
Opening the conference, the Rector of St Petersburg University spoke about the University’s contribution to antimonopoly regulation of the economy. He also emphasised that St Petersburg University is actively involved in solving import substitution issues. As one example of departments successfully working in this direction, the Rector named the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University, which patients have recognised as the best in the city for several years.
According to Nikolay Kropachev, the antimonopoly competitive environment in the context of education is a very important topic. Despite the fact that education itself is not a service, there are many services directly related to it. For example, providing a university with the opportunity to use its hall of residence, library, and research park. St Petersburg University provides such an opportunity not only to its students, but also to students from other universities in the city on a fee-paying basis. The Rector emphasised that issues in antimonopoly regulation in the field of education require separate discussion, and proposed holding a conference at the University together with the Federal Antimonopoly Service.
Maxim Shaskolsky, Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, thanked the University for cooperation in the field of science and education. According to him, today the Federal Antimonopoly Service is faced with the artificial unification of competitors into one group of persons to circumvent the requirements of antimonopoly legislation. Maxim Shaskolsky also said that the Federal Antimonopoly Service is closely monitoring the situation in digital markets. The adoption of the ‘fifth antimonopoly package’ established special conditions for recognising the dominant position of the owners of transactional digital platforms.
During the plenary session, Sergey Puzyrevsky, State Secretary — Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, noted that thanks to the adoption of the ‘fifth antimonopoly package’, the legislation began to take into account to a greater extent the peculiarities of the transformation of economic relations and the development of e-commerce. Sergey Puzyrevsky recalled that within the framework of the ‘sixth antimonopoly package’, issues in abolition of antimonopoly immunities in relation to exclusive rights to the results of intellectual activity will be considered, which today creates serious risks of monopolisation in digital commodity markets.
The University and the Federal Antimonopoly Service have a long-standing partnership. In the autumn of 2017, the University and the Federal Antimonopoly Service signed an agreement that allowed for stronger interaction in the expert, scientific and educational spheres, including in the implementation of the National Competition Development Plan approved by the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation. The agreement was the first document of this type signed between the antimonopoly authority and the University.
With the participation of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Department of Legal Protection of Economic Competition was opened at St Petersburg University, which was later transformed into the Institute for Competition Development of and Antimonopoly Regulation. Its main activity is preparing master’s students in the programme ‘Legal Protection of Economic Competition’. One of the features of the programme is its interdisciplinary approach. The programme combines legal, economic, sociological disciplines and a practical focus of training. The programme involves managers, specialists of antimonopoly authorities, and judges with experience in making balanced decisions in the current economic situation.
International activities
The following events were recently held at St Petersburg University.
Visit of the Vice-Rector of the Federal University of Minas Gerais to St Petersburg University
On 3 February, representatives of St Petersburg University met with Professor Aziz Saliba, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (the Federative Republic of Brazil). They discussed prospects for joint activities, including exchanges of students and academic staff, scientific cooperation, and joint events. The parties also considered the possibility of sending St Petersburg University students to the Federal University of Minas Gerais to participate in the International Summer School in Legal Studies.
Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain
On 4 February, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Kingdom of Spain held the online lecture ‘Life on other worlds: hypotheses and the search for extraterrestrial life’. The lecture was delivered by Anton Sheikin, Associate Professor in the Department of High Energy Physics and Elementary Particles at St Petersburg University. On 6 February, there was an online lecture on digitalisation in medicine by Lidiia Soprun, Associate Professor in the Department of Healthcare Organisation and Medical Law at St Petersburg University.
Implementation of the Visiting Professors Programme at St Petersburg University
The implementation of the Visiting Professors Programme at St Petersburg University offers the opportunity to invite foreign professors to deliver open lectures and classes as part of the degree programmes. The programme aims to foster the exchange of knowledge and experience between Russian and foreign scholars from friendly countries, thereby strengthening ties with leading universities worldwide.
The heads of academic and research subdivisions have been instructed to submit proposals for inviting foreign lecturers to work at the University during the 2025/2026 academic year.
Awarding Nikolay Kuznetsov, Head of the Department of Applied Cybernetics at St Petersburg University, with the Andronov Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences
At a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a ceremony was held to award diplomas for prizes named after outstanding scholars. President of the Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov presented the Andronov Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences to Nikolay Kuznetsov, Head of the Department of Applied Cybernetics at St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Professor at St Petersburg University. The cycle of works ‘The theory of hidden oscillations and stability of control systems’ was highly praised.
Research on the theory of hidden oscillations formed the basis of Nikolay Kuznetsov’s doctoral dissertation, which was devoted to the development of effective analytical and numerical methods for studying hidden oscillations of dynamic systems. As the scientist explained, the development of stability theory, bifurcation theory, chaos theory, control theory and modern computing technologies made it possible to consider a number of known scientific challenges and practical tasks of analysing multidimensional dynamic models in a new way. This led to the emergence of the theory of hidden oscillations, which became a modern stage in the development of the theory of oscillations of Academician Aleksandr Andronov and opened up a number of fundamentally new possibilities for determining the boundaries of stability and identifying oscillations to prevent technological and man-made disasters.
In the process of preparing his doctoral dissertation, Nikolay Kuznetsov made a number of innovative observations and discoveries, which are successfully developed today by the team of the Leading Scientific School (Centre of Excellence) under the guidance of the scientist. For example, the methods developed within the framework of this theory made it possible to identify undesirable oscillatory modes and determine the stability boundaries in a number of well-known engineering problems, including the problem of Mstislav Keldysh on the nonlinear analysis of flutter suppression systems of aircraft controls, the problem of Aleksandr Andronov and Ivan Wyschnegradsky on the global stability of a turbine centrifugal regulator, and the problem of determining the stability of a closed nonlinear dynamic model of the control system of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station to name just a few.
The results obtained were previously recognised with the St Petersburg University Award for Research Papers Work (2020), and the Afraimovich Award (2021). They were also included in the reports ‘On the most important scientific achievements obtained by Russian researchers in 2022’ of the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Gennady Krasnikov.
Nikolay Kuznetsov, Head of the Department of Applied Cybernetics at St Petersburg University, is Head of the Leading Scientific School of the Russian Federation in the field of mathematics and mechanics, one of the most highly cited researchers in the world according to the Web of Science, the author of more than 400 publications, five monographs and ten certificates of intellectual property (Nikolay Kuznetsov, Professor of St Petersburg University, receives the Andronov Prize from the Russian Academy of Sciences).
The exhibition ‘St Petersburg University: 300 Years of Service to the Fatherland’ at the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly
The St Petersburg Legislative Assembly has hosted the opening ceremony of the exhibition ‘St Petersburg University: 300 Years of Service to the Fatherland’, which showcases the contribution of Russia’s oldest university to the development of Russian science, education, technology, and culture.
Nikolai Bondarenko, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg, addressed the participants in the event with a welcoming speech. On behalf of St Petersburg University, Anastasia Yarmosh, Acting Rector, Senior Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership of the University, expressed gratitude to the deputies of the Legislative Assembly and the Governor of the city for the opportunity to extend the celebration, which began a year ago, on 8 February 2024. A resolution of the City Government approved a draft law on amendments to the law ‘On holidays and commemorative dates in St Petersburg’. Now, in addition to the Day of the Foundation of the City and other city celebrations, the citizens of St Petersburg celebrate the St Petersburg University Day on 8 February.
Anastasia Yarmosh highlighted that one of the distinguishing features of the University is its commitment to preserving traditions. As a gesture of this legacy, she presented the Mariinsky Palace Library with an illustrated album, ‘Three Centuries of St Petersburg University’, published by the St Petersburg University Publishing House as part of the 300th anniversary celebrations.
The book collection of the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly, established in 1945, holds nearly 70,000 volumes. Among them are works by researchers from St Petersburg University, which are available for visitors at the Mariinsky Palace Library and featured in temporary exhibitions. For instance, the exhibition dedicated to the Days of Breakthrough and Complete Lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, which opened in January, included books published in the besieged city, as well as modern scholarly publications. Among these are: a collection of documents prepared by the University’s historians, ‘The Siege in the decisions of the governing party bodies of Leningrad. 1941—1944’; and the trilogy ‘Leningrad in the struggle for survival during the Siege’ by Gennadii Sobolev, Professor Emeritus of St Petersburg University.
The University maintains successful cooperation with the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg in expert and scientific-methodological fields. In the anniversary year for the Legislative Assembly (in 2024, the Legislative Assembly also celebrated its 30th anniversary), St Petersburg University co-organised a contest for the creation of a logo dedicated to this milestone. Additionally, the diploma awarding ceremony for the best graduates of the University, held in its 300th anniversary year, took place at the Mariinsky Palace. Experts from St Petersburg University participated in the selection of candidates for the city’s Youth Parliament. Furthermore, to mark the 350th anniversary of Peter the Great’s birth, the University presented the exhibition ‘Peter the Great introduced sciences to us’ at the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg, highlighting the first Russian Emperor’s contribution to the development of scientific education.
It is no coincidence that the Mariinsky Palace, the heart of St Petersburg parliamentary government, was chosen as the venue for the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the history of St Petersburg University’s service to society and the state. Throughout Russian history, St Petersburg University has held a special position as an intellectual centre and has traditionally been a training ground for statesmen. Among its graduates are leaders of political parties and social movements, high-ranking state officials, and members of elected government bodies. At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 70 graduates of St Petersburg University served as members of the State Duma, while 37 were members of the State Council of the Russian Empire (An exhibition showcasing the 300-year history of St Petersburg University’s service to the country presented at the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly).
The leader of present-day Russia, and St Petersburg University’s most distinguished graduate, is President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. In honour of three graduates of the University—leaders of the Russian state: Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin, and Dmitry Medvedev—a plaque bearing the dates of their graduation from St Petersburg University was unveiled in the corridor of the main building of the University (St Petersburg University unveils a plaque in honour of its graduates — leaders of the Russian state).