18 April 2025 Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

№ 626
dated 14.04.2025

    The participants in the meeting held a moment of silence for Archpriest Kirill Kopeikin and Andrei Semenov, Advisor to the Rector. 

    International activities

    The following events were recently held at St Petersburg University.

    Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Uzbekistan

    On 17 March, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Republic of Uzbekistan held an open lecture on current issues in information technology law. The lecture was delivered by Vladislav Arkhipov, Head of the of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at St Petersburg University. On 24 March, there was a workshop on student start-ups delivered by Nikolai Parfenenok, Deputy Dean of the School of International Relations at St Petersburg University. On 26 March, Alexey Rodionov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University, delivered a lecture on Mo Yan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

    Delegation of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Russian Federation visits St Petersburg University

    Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Russian Federation Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez has given an open lecture at St Petersburg University. During the working meeting, the parties discussed opportunities for academic collaboration and outlined priority areas for the development of a network of partnerships and collaborations.

    On behalf of Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, the meeting was held by Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University. He expressed hope that the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela would be actively engage in the implementation of the joint educational and research projects, especially academic exchange.

    The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expressed particular interest in the University’s research conducted in the field of artificial intelligence. He also focused on the main areas of study that are closely related to AI technologies. During the discussion of cooperation prospects, the diplomat offered to assist the University with establishing partnerships and collaborations between St Petersburg University and leading universities in Venezuela (Ambassador of Venezuela visits St Petersburg University).

    Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain

    On 25 March, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Kingdom of Spain held an online lecture on the concept of the multiverse. The lecture was delivered by Anton Sheikin, Associate Professor in the Department of High Energy Physics and Elementary Particles at St Petersburg University. On 27 March, there was an online lecture titled ‘Spanish spots in St Petersburg’. The lecture was delivered by Anastasiia Babaeva, Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages in International Relations at St Petersburg University. On 3 April, there was an online lecture focused on the life and work of Vladimir Mayakovsky by Nina Shcherbak, Associate Professor in the Department of English Philology and Cultural Linguistics at the University. On 10 April, there was an online lecture on the fundamentals of epidemiological literacy by Lidiia Soprun, Associate Professor in the Department of Healthcare Organisation and Medical Law at St Petersburg University.

    A delegation from St Petersburg University visits the Islamic Republic of Iran

    A delegation from St Petersburg University has visited the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was headed by Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University. The aim of the visit was to strengthen partnerships with the Iran’s higher education institutions. During the working visit, the delegation met with representatives of Tarbiat Modares University, the University of Tehran, and the University of Isfahan.

    During the visit to the University of Tehran, Sergey Andryushin met with Elham Aminzadeh, Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Tehran. The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of interuniversity cooperation. In particular, they discussed opportunities to develop a joint master’s programme in management at St Petersburg University and to offer lectures on the Russian language for Iranian students. They also discussed the work of the Faculty of Public Administration that was recently opened at the University of Tehran.

    The delegation of St Petersburg University met with the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Isfahan Andrei Zhiltsov. The diplomat positively assessed the activities of St Petersburg University in Iran and expressed his readiness to provide support. He also suggested that St Petersburg University organise an exhibition in Isfahan at the consulate or the partner university (The University expands cooperation with leading universities in Iran).

    Delegation of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand in the Russian Federation visits St Petersburg University

    On 2 April, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Russian Federation H.E. Mr Sasiwat Wongsinsawat visited St Petersburg University. During the visit, potential areas of cooperation between St Petersburg University and Thai universities were discussed, and promising avenues for collaboration were identified. The Ambassador also met with students enrolled in academic programmes with advanced study of the Thai language, as well as Thai students studying at the University.

    Online lecture at the Centre for Modern Educational Technologies and Humanities of the Belarusian-Russian University

    On 4 April, the Centre for Modern Educational Technologies and Humanities of the Belarusian-Russian University hosted an online lecture entitled ‘Historical and cultural bonds between Russia and Belarus’. The lecture was delivered by Ivan Radikov, Head of the Department of Russian Politics at St Petersburg University. The lecture was held in conjunction with the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, celebrated annually on 2 April.

    Delegation of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic visits St Petersburg University

    On 10 April, a delegation of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic visited St Petersburg University. During a meeting between Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, and Edil Baisalov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, discussions focused on cooperation between the University and government agencies and organisations in the Kyrgyz Republic. Edil Baisalov also delivered a lecture to students on the current state of bilateral relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

    St Petersburg University scholars win Ibn Sina Foundation grants

    The Grant Council of the Ibn Sina Islamic Culture Research Foundation has announced the winners of its 2025 contest for projects in Islamic and Iranian studies. Among the winners are lecturers and graduates of St Petersburg University — experts in economics, oriental studies, and the arts.

    In the category ‘Publishing Projects’, the grant was awarded to Associate Professor Olga Trofimenko, Acting Head of the Department of World Economy at St Petersburg University. She supervised the publication of the collective monograph titled ‘Trade and Economic Partnership between Russia and Iran under Sanctions: Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospects’. The book is co-authored by economists and political scientists from St Petersburg University, along with scholars from the University of Tehran.

    In the ‘Research Projects’ category, the grant was awarded to Daria Martynova, Assistant Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Art at St Petersburg University. Her research project, titled ‘Persepolis and Safavid Persia in European Graphic Arts of the 17th-18th Centuries’, focuses on analysing the reception of Persian culture and art (St Petersburg University scholars win Ibn Sina Foundation grants).

    The 9th St Petersburg Labour Forum, the 9th St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum

    Modernisation of the system of professional education of specialists, attraction of talented university graduates to companies, application of artificial intelligence technologies in the sphere of employment and other topical issues were discussed by experts from St Petersburg University at the 9th St Petersburg International Labour Forum. The key topic of the forum this year is ‘Human capital: investments in the future’.

    St Petersburg University was the initiator of the first International Labour Forum. In the subsequent years, it became a co-organiser and strategic scientific partner of the forum. For nine years now, St Petersburg University has been initiating to discuss the most pressing issues in the sphere of labour and employment. This year, with the active participation of St Petersburg University experts, 50 sessions and round tables were prepared, a series of satellite events of the KUB exhibition were organised, and the forum library was opened. On the zero day of the forum, the Youth International Labour Forum was held at the University, bringing together over 1,500 participants.

    The 9th Labour Forum focused on a wide range of topics, yet the primary focus is on the issues of adaptation of society, business and the state to the challenges of the future, said Elena Chernova, Academic Secretary of St Petersburg University and Deputy Chairperson of the Academic Council at St Petersburg University, during the large plenary session (Labour Forum: ‘The focus is always on a person-creator and their work’).

    The largest event in the field of labour economics and exchange of best HR practices traditionally opened the St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum at the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus at St Petersburg University. At the plenary session ‘Young generation as a driver of labour market transformation’, representatives of St Petersburg University, executive authorities, public organisations and businesses shared their opinions on how academic programmes meet labour market demand, how new technologies change employer’s requirements for skills and young people adapt to digitalisation, the values and expectations of young specialists influence their choice of profession and their career path.

    Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, emphasised that the Youth Forum, which has become an integral part of the main Labour Forum, pays special attention to issues of modernising academic programmes, searching for new formats of education and adapting companies to the values and attitudes of the current generation of workers.

    Leading researchers at the University presented the results of research in the field of psychology of labour and employment. They also spoke about the social responsibility of business in the context of the new economy, the specifics of legal regulation of new forms of employment, remote work, and the impact of AI and automation on the labour sphere. The St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum hosted a scientific conference ‘Human capital ecosystem: new forms of cooperation and interaction’. Participants of the Youth Labour Forum attended the Spring Career Day at St Petersburg University and talked with representatives of large Russian and international companies and government agencies, joined trainings, business games and workshops (New market of professions and flexible forms of employment: the 9th International Labour Forum at St Petersburg University).

    With the support of the State Labour Inspectorate in St Petersburg, St Petersburg University also held an international scientific and practical conference ‘Human capital: education, labour, employment in modern society’ at the Labour Forum. Leading experts in the field of labour protection and St Petersburg University researchers discussed new meanings of labour and employment in the development of human potential, strategies for professional self-realisation, regulation of labour migration in the context of sanctions pressure, corporate social responsibility in raising labour safety standards and other issues.

    Today, computer technologies affect all spheres of society, and labour processes are no exception. Digitalisation has minimised the risk of industrial injuries and increased work intensity. Strengthening labour safety requirements has led to an increase in demand for academic programmes and online courses in this area. Ruben Karapetyan, Director of the Graduate School of Occupational Safety and Health at St Petersburg University, shared the University’s experience in developing the programmes and courses at the panel discussion ‘Adaptation of labour safety standards to new realities: from theory to teaching’.

    In the context of dynamic changes in the modern labour market, companies are faced with the need to review approaches to personnel management. In order to ensure business competitiveness, it is necessary to invest resources in the selection and development of employees. The possibilities of introducing innovative approaches to personnel assessment for successful human resource management were presented during the scientific session ‘Personnel management of the future: integration of neuroscience into the employee assessment and development’ by Irina Shoshina, Professor of St Petersburg University and chair of the scientific committee in the field of cognitive sciences (Expert at St Petersburg University at the Labour Forum: a neural network to help identify burnout in employees).

    This year, the Labour Forum programme included a new track ‘Ours’ dedicated to building career trajectories for special military operation participants and supporting their families. Participants in the business breakfast ‘Resocialisation and rehabilitation of special military operation participants’ discussed how to ensure the rehabilitation of not only the physical health, but also the psychological state of the veterans of the special military operation returning from the combat zone and their integration into society and return to normal civilian life. Lidiia Soprun, Associate Professor of St Petersburg University, an epidemiologist at the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University, took part in the discussion.

    Today, more than 20 million representatives of Generation Z live in Russia, and a significant part of them (about 60%) have already been successfully integrated into the professional sphere and contribute to the development of various sectors of the Russia’s economy. Olga Nikiforova, Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University, analysed the characteristics of this generation and its impact on the modern labour market. Modern trends in education and methods for developing competencies in Generation Z were discussed at the Labour Forum (St Petersburg University expert discuss how zoomers are changing the labour market).

    The content of academic programmes should be designed so that upon completion of training, graduates can successfully carry out their work based on employer’s requests and in accordance with educational standards approved taking into account the expectations and interests of the graduates themselves and the characteristics of the labour market. Approaches to training future specialists were considered during the annual round table ‘Competency model of a university graduate: analysis of the goals and results of training’, which has been held for many years at the forum.

    The scientific session ‘The level of financial literacy as an indicator of human capital development’ brought together leading experts, teachers and students to discuss key aspects of financial education: its transformation in the context of modern challenges and its impact on the development of the economic culture of society.

    A panel discussion was held on issues of employment of teenagers and their mentors. Experts in the field of labour and employment together with teenagers discussed how adult mentoring helps to consciously build a career.

    The Labour Forum hosted the awarding of the winners of the contest ‘HR Brand’, which has had a special nomination since this year, i.e. ‘Responsible employment of teenagers’. Its creators were the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, the Centre for Applied Sociology at St Petersburg University, and the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research at St Petersburg University. The nomination is aimed at developing teenage employment in Russia and supporting organisations that offer career guidance and employment programmes for teenagers.

    The forum also included panel discussions and round tables in various scientific and educational departments at St Petersburg University, during which future economists, sociologists, lawyers and students in other fields expressed their opinions on the problems of the modern labour market that concern them (Development of human capital in the era of digital transformation: the 9th Labour Forum at St Petersburg University).

    St Petersburg University and hh.ru agreed to jointly implement a master’s programme in personnel management. The agreement was signed at the Labour Forum. The master’s programme at St Petersburg University ‘Human Resource Management’ aims at preparing specialists capable of developing and implementing systems of operational and strategic human resource management (St Petersburg University and hh.ru to prepare professionals for human resource management).

    St Petersburg University and the autonomous non-profit organisation of additional professional education ‘ProfEcoSkill’ signed a cooperation agreement for the implementation of joint projects in the field of science and education at the Labour Forum.

    St Petersburg University has begun preparations for the anniversary 10th St Petersburg International Labour Forum.

    Participation of University staff and students in a meeting of the committee for the implementation of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values of the Presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations

    On 11 April, a meeting of the committee for the implementation of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values of the Presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations was held in the administration of the President of the Russian Federation under the chairmanship of the Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, and Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University.

    The meeting brought together members of the committee and its working bodies: representatives of government agencies, scientific and educational organisations, religious figures and experts. Among them were the following: Andrei Tretiakov, an assistant of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation for Internal Policy, Executive Secretary of the Presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations; Iaroslav Olenchak, Deputy Head of the Department for Public Projects of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation; Sergei Rukavishnikov, State Secretary — Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor); Denis Ermakov, Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Guard; Pavel Abramov, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs; Aleksei Fadeev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry; Abbess Kseniia (Chernega), Head of the Legal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate; Aleksandr Shchipkov, Rector of the Russian Orthodox University; Pavel Lebedev, Head of the Department for Work with Government Agencies at the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and the Media; Denis Mustafin, Head of the Department for Coordination of Interaction with Government Agencies at the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia; Ravil Seifetdinov, Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Russian Federation for Internal Affairs; and Sergei Riakhovskii, a ruling bishop of the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) to name just a few.

    The meeting discussed the consortium’s work on analysing Russian legislation for compliance with the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation No 809 ‘Approving the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values’ dated 9 November 2022. A report on this issue was made by Aleksandr Alekseenko, a chairman of the scientific committee in the field of jurisprudence at St Petersburg University. During the discussion of the report, committee members Aleksandr Shchipkov, Sergei Riakhovskii, Aidar Khabutdinov highly appreciated the work of the consortium and presented specific proposals for supplementing its work plan. During the discussion of the issue, the committee supported the proposal of the Rector of St Petersburg University to grant the family the status of a legal entity, to develop a unified ethical code of universities in the Russian Federation, and a number of other proposals from the consortium members.

    The second issue concerned an issue relating to ‘On ensuring assistance from the Presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations and its working bodies in fulfilling paragraph 103 of the Action Plan for the implementation in 2024-2026 of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values, approved by the Order No 1734-r of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 1 July 2024’. The report was made by Dmitrii Shmonin, Director of the Institute of Theology at St Petersburg University, Chairman of the Expert Council on Theology of the Higher Assessment Committee under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

    The members of the committee listened to the information about the instructions stipulated in paragraph 103 of the above-mentioned plan and approved the work on the organisational design of the consortium of universities. Its head is Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, who was elected at the meeting on 28 February 2025. The members of the committee received the information presented in the report on the preparation of the concept for the development of theology in the Russian Federation, prepared within the framework of the instructions of the council by the universities — members of the Scientific and Educational Theological Association (this work was also coordinated by St Petersburg University) and on the work of St Petersburg University to fulfil the instruction of the administration of the President of Russia to St Petersburg University on organising events on religious and ideological topics with the participation of the Association of Leading Universities (the chairman is Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University) as part of the international forums in Russia. The members of the council and the committee were encouraged to more actively participate in holding round tables and conferences at various international forums. Among them are the following: St Petersburg International Economic Forum, St Petersburg International Legal Forum, St Petersburg International Educational Forum, St Petersburg International United Cultures Forum, St Petersburg International Labour Forum, International Youth Forum and International Women’s Forums in Yekaterinburg, and Russia-wide events held with the support of the council.

    In their speeches, the committee members, including Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Nikolay Kropachev, and Ravil Seifetdinov to name just a few, approved the decision of the consortium member universities to check and bring all local regulatory legal regulations of universities into compliance with the norms of the Executive Order No 809 of the President of the Russian Federation during 2025. They also supported the creation of a consortium working group on the development of the social and humanitarian core of modern higher education, headed by Lomonosov Moscow State University. The committee members expressed their readiness to take an active part in the events of the consortium members. The committee also approved the proposal of the council and committee members on the need to establish a special International Worldview Forum to discuss issues relating to values and religious worldview in relation to problems of health care, sports, law, economics, culture and other areas of life.

    St Petersburg University’s projects related to artificial intelligence

    St Petersburg University is working on how to use best practices in the field of high technology to develop education, science and other areas of activity. The need to use applied solutions of artificial intelligence technologies is stipulated in documents regulating issues of public policy, which define AI as a technology contributing to improving the quality of data analytics for making management decisions and increasing labour productivity.

    According to Anastasia Yarmosh, Senior Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership at St Petersburg University, in 2025, a pilot contest for the best pedagogical practices in using applied artificial intelligence solutions in education is planned to be held among the University’s academic staff. For students graduating in 2025 (among other things, they are required to inform the state committee about the use of artificial intelligence solutions when preparing their graduation projects), a contest for the best practice in the effective use of artificial intelligence in working with data for a graduation project will be held.

    Special attention will be paid to the qualitative improvement of the digital culture of employees at St Petersburg University during the year. A series of educational events (courses and workshops to name just a few) will be held on the use of applied artificial intelligence solutions to optimise work and improve the quality of work results.

    St Petersburg University and the Research and Production Enterprise ‘Radar MMS’ sign an agreement on the creation of a joint master’s programme in Mathematical and Information Support of Autonomous Remote Monitoring Systems

    St Petersburg University and the Research and Production Enterprise ‘Radar MMS’ have signed an agreement on the creation of a joint academic programme. The signing took place during the opening ceremony of the All-Russian Conference ‘The Future of a Strong Russia is in High Technologies’. The document was signed by Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, and Ivan Antsev, Executive Director of Radar MMS.

    According to Marina Lavrikova, the new master’s programme, ‘Mathematical and Information Support of Autonomous Remote Monitoring Systems’, is designed to closely integrate with real-world production. From the beginning of their studies, students will engage in practical activities at this unique research and production enterprise. They will work with modern equipment and address real-life production challenges presented by our partner. This joint academic programme is unique because it is implemented jointly with a leading enterprise in the industry. The enterprise’s achievements have recently been recognised at the highest level.

    The new academic programme focuses on studying modern methods of big data processing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence algorithms for analysing information from remote sensors. Students will master technologies for creating intelligent monitoring systems, learn to develop software for controlling autonomous devices, and work with advanced data visualisation tools. ‘Radar MMS has accumulated extensive and unique experience in processing large volumes of data obtained from our monitoring devices, sensors, and drone payloads. Our company has developed several mathematical algorithms that help to analyse information based on set values, enhance the quality of images obtained during fieldwork, and provide recommendations for equipment maintenance. Interest in this field is growing daily, and the demand for technology is high, but there is a shortage of qualified specialists. Together with our flagship university, we aim to train qualified specialists who will contribute to shaping the future of high technologies alongside our enterprise,’ Ivan Antsev emphasised.

    The Research and Production Enterprise "Radar MMS" is a leader in developing and producing modern radioelectronic systems and complexes. The company specialises in creating high-precision devices and developing innovative software, holding its position as a recognised leader in the industry.

    The cooperation between St Petersburg University and Radar MMS is comprehensive and aims to educate highly qualified specialists for high-tech production. A key area of this cooperation is career guidance activities. Together, the University and the enterprise organise intellectual competitions for school students, special events for students of the Faddeev Academic Gymnasium at St Petersburg University, and introductory meetings with high school and university students. These initiatives help attract talented young people to science and research and familiarise them with current achievements of Russian science.

    Another important aspect of the cooperation is the introduction of an employer-sponsored training system. St Petersburg University and Radar MMS have agreed to organise employer-sponsored admissions for students, with subsequent employment at the enterprise. This system ensures that the enterprise receives an influx of highly qualified specialists, while students are offered guaranteed employment upon graduation (St Petersburg University and Radar MMS create a groundbreaking master’s programme on autonomous monitoring systems).

    Organisation of the teaching and learning process

    Over the past week, 41 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. Classes are held 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 Faculty of Foreign Languages; the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes; the Faculty of Psychology; and the Faculty of Philology.

    Opening the regional centre of the medical and social project ‘The star country’ at the Pirogov Clinic of Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University

    The first regional centre of the medical and social project ‘The star country’ has been opened in Samara at Pirogov Clinic of Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University. The building of the V. D. Seredavin Hospital was specially equipped, where children from orphanages will undergo medical examinations and check-ups with doctors.

    The centre has telemedicine equipment to ensure remote communication between experts at St Petersburg and their Samara colleagues to receive support in difficult clinical cases. This will avoid frequent transportation of children to federal medical institutions and make treatment comfortable for young patients.

    The main specialisation of the new institution will be working with orphan (rare) diseases, which include haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and leukaemia to name just a few. Doctors at the Pirogov Clinic at St Petersburg University together with partners of the charity project ‘The star country’ help orphans receive consultations and treatment, get an operation to the best doctors of the country, and then (if necessary) undergo rehabilitation. Applications for participation in the project can be submitted by representatives of orphanages from any region of Russia.

    The opening of the centre is a significant event for the town, bringing together hospital managers, doctors and representatives of the administration. Vladimir Zavarukhin, the author of ‘The star country’ and Head of the Depart of Paediatric Traumatology at the St Petersburg University Clinic, spoke about the initiative was proposed and developed: ‘The project was launched in 2019 to provide qualified medical care to children left without parental care. Many specialists from the regions joined it.’

    After the grand opening ceremony, the Russia-wide scientific and practical conference ‘Interdisciplinary approach to managing complex patients in paediatrics’ was held, organised, among other things, by the Clinic at St Petersburg University. The main topic was Apert Syndrome, i.e. a rare congenital genetic anomaly requiring complex therapy. The participants of the event also discussed the prospects for multidisciplinary consultations to develop adequate tactics for treating children with orphan diseases and serious pathologies.

    In future, it is planned to expand the work of the centre in Samara, including mobile examinations in orphanages in the region and the organisation of training seminars for local doctors, which will improve the quality of medical care for special patients (The project on children with rare diseases of the Pirogov Clinic at St Petersburg University opens a branch in Samara).

    Amendments to Order No 11181/1 ‘On the procedure for awarding academic degrees at St Petersburg University’ dated 19 November 2021

    The Rector’s meeting discussed the issue in preparing a draft order ‘On amendments to Order No 11181/1 "On the procedure for awarding academic degrees at St Petersburg University (with amendments and additions) dated 19 November 2021"’.

    Directors of the institutes and deans of the faculties are instructed to send changes or additions to the draft of this order to the Vice-Rector for Legal Affairs within three working days (from 14 to 16 April).

    Cultural events in April

    Elena Lebedkina, Head of Exhibitions, Museums, Libraries and Publications Department at St Petersburg University, presented a digest of the University’s cultural events in April.

    Exhibition of paintings ‘Boris Koshelokhov. Titan’

    Since 4 April, the exhibition hall at St Petersburg State University has been hosting an exhibition of paintings ‘Boris Koshelokhov. Titan’ by one of the heroes of Leningrad underground art. The exhibition features paintings from the artist’s late period (2012-2016) from his son’s collection. These paintings were miraculously saved after the author’s death and have not previously been presented to the public.

    Exhibition ‘In the battles of World War II’

    Since 4 April, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University has been hosting an exhibition ‘In the battles of World War II’ as part of the project ‘Bolshaya Morskaya — the Street of Progress’. The exhibition covers three areas: the participation of marines and signalmen in the war and the liberation of Leningrad and the stories of Leningrad residents and war participants.

    Exhibition ‘Nabokov’s Petersburg’

    Since 5 April, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University has been hosting an exhibition ‘Nabokov’s Petersburg’. Two different artists, Iuliia Kartoshkina and Ivan Chemakin, agreed to an experiment to combine their two individual views on the city of Vladimir Nabokov’s childhood and the house in which he was born and raised.

    Art exhibition for Cosmonautics Day ‘Space is great’

    On 11 April, the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art at St Petersburg University opened an art exhibition for Cosmonautics Day ‘Space is great’. The exhibition features works by more than twenty contemporary artists and a number of unique artifacts from St Petersburg University’s scientific collections, which reveal the depths of the unknowable abyss.

    Online exhibition 'Frederiks Vsevolod Konstantinovich (on the 140th anniversary of his birth)'

    On 15 April, an online exhibition ‘Vsevolod Frederiks (on his 140th anniversary)’ will open. It is dedicated to the founder of the School of Molecular Physics of Polymers and Liquid Crystals at St Petersburg University.

    Concert ‘Rachmaninoff in the mirror of Vladimir Nabokov’s Poetry’

    On 16 April at 6.30 pm, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University will host a concert ‘Rachmaninoff in the mirror of Vladimir Nabokov’s Poetry’ by pianist, music teacher and theorist Mariia Studenovskaia.

    Opening of the exhibition ‘190th anniversary of the Consecration of Smolny Cathedral and its naming as the temple of all educational institutions by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia’

    On 17 April, the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University will open an exhibition titled ‘190th anniversary of the Consecration of Smolny Cathedral and its naming as the temple of all educational institutions by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia’.

    70th anniversary of the literary magazine ‘Neva’

    On 18 April at 6pm, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University will host reports by St Petersburg writers and critics as part of the 70th anniversary of the literary magazine ‘Neva’.

    Opening of the exhibition ‘The day of the accession of Crimea, Taman, and Kuban into the Russian Empire’

    On 18 April, the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University will open a book and illustration exhibition titled ‘The day of the accession of Crimea, Taman, and Kuban into the Russian Empire’. Encyclopaedic and historical publications will be presented. They focus on the accession of Crimea to Russia in the 18th century and the most important events on the peninsula during these two and a half centuries.

    Nabokov Festival 2025

    From 20 to 23 April, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University will host a series of guided tours as part of the Nabokov Festival 2025; the tour for children ‘Where there is sun, there will be butterflies’; the lecture ‘Mstislav Dobuzhinsky’s sketches for the 1941 production of Vladimir Nabokov’s "The event"’ by Mariia Aleksandrova, custodian of the Pushkin House Literary Museum collection; the lecture ‘Vladimir Nabokov and Ambrose Bierce’ by Andrei Astvatsaturov, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St Petersburg University; the lecture ‘The concept of creating a Literary Memorial Park at Vyrskaya Myza: a case study of the formation of the Vladimir Nabokov Museum and Reserve’ by Anastasiia Kazakova, lecturer of the programme ‘Environmental Design’ at St Petersburg University; a performance based on the story ‘A Nursery Take’ by Vladimir Nabokov by the St Petersburg University Studio Theatre; and a screening of the film ‘Nabokov’s house. A journey through time’.

    Online exhibition ‘Stanislav Merkuriev: a portrait of the scientist, teacher and leader. On his 80th anniversary’

    On 28 April, as part of the series ‘Famous University staff and students’, the online exhibition ‘Stanislav Merkuriev: a portrait of the scientist, teacher, and leader. On his 80th anniversary’ will open. It is dedicated to the activities of the scientist, physicist, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, and Rector of St Petersburg University (1986-1993).

    Excursion ‘Planetary mechanisms’

    On 28 April at 4pm, the Museum of the History of Physics and Mathematics at St Petersburg University will host the excursion ‘Planetary mechanisms’ as part of the project ‘Science nearby’, where models of planetary mechanisms that served as teaching aids in the teaching of mechanics in the 19th century will be demonstrated.

    Excursion for children ‘Where there is sun, there will be butterflies’

    On 29 April at 4pm, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University will host the tour for children ‘Where there is sun, there will be butterflies’. Participants will learn about the lesser-known side of Nabokov’s biography as a scientist and will be shown a collection of butterflies brought from America, unique to Russia. Young visitors will be told how six-year-old Nabokov developed an interest in butterflies.