4 July 2022 Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

№ 532
dated 04.07.2022

    Events of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum

    On 28 June to 1 July 2022, St Petersburg University took part in the events of the 10th Anniversary St Petersburg International Legal Forum. It is the largest platform for dialogue between representatives of the legal, business, political and law enforcement communities on legal issues. For the first time, the events of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum were held at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre. The forum was attended by 3,000 participants from Russia and 45 foreign states (Results of the 10th Anniversary St Petersburg International Legal Forum).

    St Petersburg University has acted as the official organiser of the "day zero" of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum, i.e. the 12th International Youth Legal Forum. It has been held by St Petersburg University since its opening in 2009, i.e. a year before the "big" legal forum appeared. This year, the International Youth Legal Forum was held for the first time not as a satellite event of the large forum, but as its "youth" part (The Youth Legal Forum, being a year older than the "big" Forum, becomes the "day zero" of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum). The International Youth Legal Forum programme was developed by St Petersburg University and consisted of 23 events of the business programme, a plenary session, the presentation of the monograph by Liudmila Galenskaia and the presentation of departmental awards of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to academic staff and students of St Petersburg University and the Russian State University of Justice. More than 480 students and young professionals from many universities of the country and from abroad became participants in the International Youth Legal Forum.

    The plenary session at the International Youth Legal Forum involved Konstantin Chuychenko, Minister of Justice; Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Honorary Professor and Professor in the Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics at St Petersburg University; Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University; Olga Aleksandrova, Rector of the All-Russian State University of Justice (the Russian Academy of Justice of the Ministry of Justice); and Vladislav Arkhipov, Head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at St Petersburg University. The moderator was Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University.

    The representatives of St Petersburg University took part in 12 sections of the International Youth Legal Forum programme:

    "Business Culture in the SCO: A Lawyer’s Guide": the moderator is Elena Sychenko, Associate Professor in the Department of Labour Law and Labour Protection, Research Supervisor of the master’s programme "Transnational Legal Practice"; the panellist is Aleksandr Alekseenko, Associate Professor in the Department of Commercial Law

    "Sport Arbitration and Federative Jurisdiction: In Search of a Fair System of Dispute Resolution": the moderator is Ilia Vasilev, Associate Professor in the Department of Theory and History of State and Law, Research Supervisor of the master’s programme "Lawyer in the Field of Sports Law (Sports Lawyer)"

    "The Legal Model of the Circular Economy": the moderators are Anton Khoroshavin, Associate Professor in the Department of Legal Environmental Protection; and Ekaterina Shalunova, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Safety and Sustainable Development of Regions and Curator of the Environmental Clinic at St Petersburg University; the panellist is Kseniia Afanaseva, a second-year master’s student of the academic programme ‘Legal Regulation of Natural Resource Use’ at St Petersburg University

    "The Digital Transformation of Negotiation Procedures Based on Mediation": the moderator is Evgeniia Vaskova, Director of the Mediation Centre at St Petersburg University

    "Legal Gaps: Legislative Mistakes or Something Unavoidable?": the panellists are Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law; and Arsenii Kraevskii, Associate Professor in the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at St Petersburg University

    "Health Preservation in a Time of Global Challenges: Human Right or Obligation?": the moderators are Igor Akulin, Head of the Health Management and Medical Law Department; and Ekaterina Chesnokova, Associate Professor in the Health Management and Medical Law Department; the panellists are Mariia Belova, a master’s student in "Medical and Pharmaceutical Law"; Aleksei Zaitsev, a student in ‘Law’; Sergei Savin, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology of Political and Social Processes; the front row participants are Margarita Krotova, a master’s student in "Medical and Pharmaceutical Law"; Daniiar Kumashov, a student at the Faculty of Law; Natalia Patrusheva, a student of the master’s programme in "Medical and Pharmaceutical Law" (St Petersburg University experts: health care is not a right, but an obligation during a pandemic)

    "Creating a Unified System of Public Authority in the Russian Federation: Status and Outlook": the panellists are Elena Gritsenko, Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law, and Iuliia Ialuner, Lecturer in the Department of Constitutional Law

    "The Social Value of Legal Clinics": the moderator is Viacheslav Nizamov, Director of the Legal Clinic; among the panellists are St Petersburg University students: Alena Kolobova; Anna Limarova; Albina Molodchikova; Angelina Neroeva; Anna Khlusova; and Matvei Chernyshov

    "Sanctions and Civics": the moderator is Andrei Pavlov, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Law

    "Being a Prosecutor: What Does One Study in Law School?": the moderator is Andrei Tuzov, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics

    "The Role of Young Lawyers in Strengthening the Position of Russian Legal Education Abroad": the panellist is Artemii Semchenkov, a student of St Petersburg University

    "Virtual Worlds, Actual Issues: Digital Law and Cybersecurity in the Context of the Gaming Industry": the moderator is Vladislav Arkhipov, Head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law

    The presentation of the monograph "Legal Regulation of Transnational Relations" by Liudmila Galenskaia, Professor in the Department of International Law at St Petersburg University and member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation, took place at the stand of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. The moderator of the presentation is Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law. Among the panellists are: Tatiana Neshataeva, Judge of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union; and Valentina Talimonchik, Professor in the Department of General Theoretical Legal Disciplines at the North-Western Branch of the Russian State University of Justice. The participants of the presentation had the opportunity to sign copies of the monograph published by the St Petersburg University Publishing House (The Monograph of Liudmila Galenskaia presented during the International Youth Legal Forum).

    The departmental awards of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation were presented to representatives of St Petersburg University and the Russian State University of Justice by Konstantin Chuychenko, Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation.

    • The Anatoly Koni Medal was awarded to Viacheslav Nizamov, Director of the Legal Clinic and Associate Professor at St Petersburg University
    • The silver medal "For Assistance" was awarded to Ekaterina Dmitrikova, Head of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Supervision Activities at St Petersburg University, Associate Professor at St Petersburg University; and students at St Petersburg University: Anastasia Baranova, Ekaterina Maisuradze, Iaroslav Panov, Dmitrii Romashov, and Matvei Chernyshov
    • The diploma of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation was awarded to Dmitrii Petrov, Elena Sychenko, and Vladislav Arkhipov, members of the academic staff at the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University
    • The gratitude of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation was announced to the following students at the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University: Gor Avanesian and Aleksandr Grubov

    Academic staff and administrative staff at St Petersburg University also took part and spoke in the events of the business programme of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum:

    • Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, moderated the section "The Development of Legal Education in the Russian Federation" (Training new generations of lawyers discussed at the St Petersburg International Legal Forum)
    • Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, spoke in the section "Universities and Business: Legal Aspects of Effective Cooperation"
    • Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law, spoke in the sections "The World Today and Human Rights in the Future" and "The Development of Legal Education in the Russian Federation" 
    • Georgii Tolstoi, Professor in the Department of Civil Law, took part (online) in the discussion at the section ‘The World Today and Human Rights in the Future’ and in the plenary session of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum
    • Evgeniia Vaskova, Director of the St Petersburg University Mediation Centre, and Oksana Nogina, Professor in the Department of Administrative and Financial Law, spoke in the section "The Development of Forms and Methods of Tax Control" 
    • Liudmila Galenskaia, Professor in the Department of International Law, spoke in the section "Peace and Law"
    • Maksim Arzamastsev, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Law, spoke in the section "Defining the Boundaries of Crime as a Way to Decriminalize Economic Activity and Improve the Business Climate" 
    • Andrei Pavlov, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Law, spoke in the section "Force Majeure and the Inability to Fulfil Obligations in the Context of Sanctions"
    • Vladislav Arkhipov, Head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law, spoke in the sections "Performance Criteria for Research: Legal Challenges and Prospects" and "The Transformation of Private Law in an Era of Digital Platforms". He also took part in the discussion at the section ‘Our People are our Everything: Training and Development of Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Regulation Specialists’
    • Anton Rudokvas, Professor in the Department of Civil Law, was the moderator of the section "The Transformation of Private Law in an Era of Digital Platforms"
    • Stanislav Tkachenko, Professor in the Department of European Studies, spoke in the section "The Transformation of Private Law in an Era of Digital Platforms"
    • Ilia Vasilev, Associate Professor in the Department of Theory and History of State and Law and Research Supervisor of the master’s programme "Lawyer in the Field of Sports Law (Sports Lawyer)", spoke in the section "Sport is a Right" (Specialists from St Petersburg University: international sport calls for better legal regulation)
    • Oksana Nogina, Professor in the Department of Administrative and Financial Law, spoke in the section "FinTech and Law: Digital Technologies and Financial Security"
    • Ekaterina Dmitrikova, Associate Professor in the Department of Administrative and Financial Law, spoke in the section "Regulation Reform: Justify, then Introduce!"

    During the discussion of the results of the Legal Forum, the meeting participants drew attention to the fact that not only lawyers, but also other specialists at the University (economists; managers; sociologists; experts in Asian and African studies; experts in international relations; political scientists; and others) could take part in the forum events. The following decision was made: when preparing the next forums and major congresses, it is necessary to create our own organising committees in advance at St Petersburg University to promote the achievements of St Petersburg University scientists and help them prepare presentations.

    Parliamentary hearings on the development of the higher education system in the Russian Federation

    On 27 June 2022, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, chaired by Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, held parliamentary hearings on the development of the higher education system. The evolution of the national education system in connection with the rejection of the Bologna model was a strategic topic of the discussion with the participation of heads of universities, representatives of the professorial and expert communities, the student community, industrial partners, public sector and management (Large parliamentary hearings on the development of the higher education system held in the State Duma).

    Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, spoke during the discussion. He suggested that those who apply for the academic programme in Law should have two years of practical work. Since the levels of graduates of different universities vary greatly, a single diploma is not enough for admission to professional activity. In many professions, an examination of the community of professionals is required. Such certification exists today in the field of medicine. Such admissions to the profession (practical psychologist, lawyer, journalist and others) also imply the possibility of revoking the licence of the professional community in the event of a violation of ethical standards, for example.

    At the Rector’s meeting, Nikolay Kropachev spoke about possible changes in the system of higher education, which were discussed during parliamentary hearings. Among them are: a ban on admission of graduates of bachelor’s programmes to master’s programmes who do not have a bachelor’s degree in the same area of study (obtaining a master’s degree without a relevant bachelor’s degree led to a deterioration in the quality of education); on changing the duration of study in master’s programmes; on the restoration of specialist’s programmes in some areas of study; preserving different options (trajectories) for the development of higher education.

    Organisation of interaction between St Petersburg University and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation

    On 28-29 June 2022, St Petersburg University hosted the first interregional forum "Teenagers 360". The event was jointly organised by Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, and St Petersburg University. The event is part of the federal project ‘Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation’ of the national project "Education" under the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The St Petersburg Teenagers Forum brought together specialists from 78 regions of the country. There were more than 200 in-person participants and participants in an online format. Among the participants were: regional children’s ombudspersons; employees of social institutions and foundations; and representatives of relevant ministries and committees of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

    As Anastasia Yarmosh, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership, said, one of the key events of the forum was the signing of a cooperation agreement between St Petersburg University and the Presidential Children’s Rights Commissioner (St Petersburg University and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation sign a cooperation agreement). The agreement is set to ensure the implementation of the strategic area of the Commissioner’s activities, i.e. the "Teenagers of Russia" programme that is supported by the head of the state. The purpose of the new programme is the comprehensive development of systematic work with teenagers.

    The agreement consolidated the areas of cooperation worked out by the teams of the Commissioner and St Petersburg University on the eve of the forum in the spring of 2022. Among the areas of cooperation are: support in conducting sociological research in the field of protection and education of children, adolescents, and youth; expertise on the protection and upbringing of children; the development of permanent expert panels on certain topics both at the regional and national levels in the implementation of the "Teenagers of Russia" programme. The agreement also provides an opportunity to implement new initiatives discussed and announced by Maria Lvova-Belova and Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev during the plenary session and the opening of the forum (St Petersburg University and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation sign a cooperation agreement).

    St Petersburg University has offered systemic extended support on the level of practice. It involves the following: the University’s expert potential for conducting analytical work, science-based and practice-oriented projects on topics in the field of childhood; clinical complex at St Petersburg University (the Legal Clinic, the Psychological Clinic, the Social Clinic, the Social Translation Centre, the Financial Literacy Centre, the Archival Centre); the possibility of monitoring law enforcement to assess the practice of applying laws and other regulatory legal acts in the field of work with children who are under the age of 16.

    The "Teenagers of Russia" programme and the joint projects planned for its implementation by St Petersburg University and the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights of the Russian Federation have a federal scale. This work continues the policy of St Petersburg University in terms of providing systematic assistance to the social and economic development of the regions of the Russian Federation.

    A master’s student of St Petersburg University is among the best graduates in St Petersburg’s universities

    The ceremony of awarding the best graduates of St Petersburg’s universities in 2022 was held in the atrium of the Commandant’s House of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Among them is Sergei Lisenkov, a master’s student at the Institute of Earth Sciences at St Petersburg University. During his master’s studies at St Petersburg University, he won several international competitions, presented the results of his scientific work at various conferences, and also won scholarships from the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, the Vernadsky Non-Governmental Ecological Foundation, and other foundations.

    Among his key achievements, as he said, are participation in the work of the research group of the Institute of Earth Sciences at St Petersburg University under the guidance of Marina Opekunova and works on grants (St Petersburg University master’s student is among the best graduates of St Petersburg universities).

    Results of the All-Russian competition of the best practices for training workers and mid-level specialists

    The National Qualifications Development Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, holds an annual competition of best practices for training workers and mid-level specialists. In 2022, the competition nomination was related to project-based learning practices.

    As Senior Vice-Rector Elena Chernova said, on 29 June 2022, there was the final stage of the All-Russian competition of best practices for training workers and mid-level specialists in the nomination "Project-based learning is a step into the future". The practices of seven educational organisations, selected by experts from 82 participants in the competition, achieved the final stage. The Sociological Clinic for Applied Research at St Petersburg University took part in the competition.

    As part of the final stage, Maiia Rusakova, the Director of the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research, and Iakov Sanadze, the project curator at the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research, presented a presentation of the model of work of the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research at St Petersburg University and answered questions from the jury members.

    Based on the results of the closed voting by the jury, the project-based learning model of the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research at St Petersburg University was chosen as one of the two winners of the competition. It will be placed in the database of best practices in the training of the National Qualifications Development Agency. The solemn awarding of the winners and prize-winners will take place at the All-Russian conference ‘Personnel for the New Economy’ in the autumn of 2022.

    Issues associated with the impossibility of transferring funds

    For six months, 6 payments (11%) out of 54 foreign currency payments that St Petersburg University sent to foreign banks in the form of payment for services rendered under civil law contracts were returned unfulfilled. The main reason is the internal policy of the banks in different countries (Sweden, Norway, Germany, Italy). The University can send payments through other banks if our counterparties have accounts there. They will be informed about it.

    There are also temporary technical restrictions of the correspondent Bank Saint-Petersburg for payment of less than five thousand euros. When these restrictions are eased, all other payments will be fulfilled.

    Current issues with organising the teaching and learning process

    Over the past week, the Virtual Reception received six enquiries addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. Additionally, ten enquiries were registered in the student enquiry register.

    Since 24 February, 163 requests to be transferred to St Petersburg University from a foreign university have been received. Additionally, 13 requests were registered last week. According to Regulation № 434 dated 21 March 2022 of the Government of the Russian Federation and Letter MN-5/927-DA dated 1 March 2022 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation: St Petersburg University accepts transfer requests from the citizens of Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic and Russian citizens who had to leave the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Ukraine and arrive in Russia, as well as the Russian citizens expressing the desire to transfer from international educational organisations in the states included into the list of non-friendly states established by Regulation № 430-r of the Government of the Russian Federation. As of today, orders have been issued to enrol 33 students as an academic transfer from a foreign educational organisation. Nineteen students were enrolled on a government-funded basis, while 14 students were enrolled on a fee-paying basis. Planned work is underway with other applicants.

    According to information from the heads of most academic and research subdivisions, the interim assessment is coming to end. Everything is held according to the timetable.

    According to the Dean of the Faculty of Law, a collective statement was received from law students about the Civil Law course. According to the students, the assignments for the seminars do not correspond to the lecture materials and are difficult for the students to understand. Additionally, the teacher does not give feedback. Consequently, there is no corrective training, which results in a general lack of understanding of the discipline. The students are concerned that they may not receive the full amount of knowledge in the subject and ask for replacement of the teacher. The appeal will be investigated. Additionally, the Dean of the Faculty of Law should submit proposals for resolving the situation.

    Meetings with students (representatives of student councils, student scientific societies, and group heads) were not held by some heads over the past week. However, such meetings were held in other academic and research subdivisions.

    Current issues with organising the teaching and learning process and other issues were discussed at the meetings with representatives of student councils, student scientific societies, heads of academic groups and heads of the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Asian and African Studies, the Institute of History, the Faculty of Medicine (the minutes of the meetings were not formalised and not submitted for publication), the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Philology, and the College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology (the minutes of the meetings were not formalised and not submitted for publication). Students also met with the heads of the Faculty of Foreign Languages (the minutes of the meetings were not formalised and not submitted for publication), and the Faculty of Economics (the minutes of the meetings were not formalised and not submitted for publication).

    Since 2016, St Petersburg University has been working regularly on the accreditation procedure for specialists in various medical specialties at the University’s Medical Accreditation Resource Centres (20 Korablestroitelei Street; and 5 Mendeleevskaya Line). It is important to note that this procedure is carried out at our University for graduates of various universities (on the basis of their applications), not only for graduates of St Petersburg University.

    Pursuant to Federal Law № 323-FZ ‘"On Fundamental Healthcare Principles in the Russian Federation" dated 21 November 2011 and Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation № 127n "On Approving the Terms and Stages of Specialist Accreditation" dated 25 February 2016: in 2022, St Petersburg University organises the primary specialised accreditation in the specialties "Dietetics", "Cardiology", "Health Organisation and Public Health", "Obstetrics and Gynaecology", "Gastroenterology", "Maxillofacial Surgery", "Surgical Dentistry", "General Dentistry", "Therapeutic Dentistry", "Paediatric Dentistry", "General Medicine", "Orthopaedic Dentistry", "Dentistry", and "Orthodontics".

    The specialties "Dietetics", "Cardiology", "Health Organisation and Public Health" were accredited in January 2022. It was for those specialists who had passed the state final assessment in the academic programmes of higher professional education in 2020/21 of various medical universities and programmes. A total of 78 applications were submitted for the three programmes. Forty six people were successfully accredited, while 32 people failed.

    The dental specialties (eight programmes) were accredited in June 2022. There were 284 applications. A total of 222 people were successfully accredited, while 62 people failed. An additional attempt will be held on 4 July (the number of those who retake is 2).

    The specialties "Obstetrics and Gynaecology" and "Gastroenterology" are currently being accredited. The number of applications for the two programmes is 93, with 25 of those who applied being graduates of 2022 clinical residency programmes at St Petersburg University. At present, accreditation is also organised for the specialty "General Medicine". There are 86 people who are allowed to participate in the accreditation process, with 47 of whom being graduates of St Petersburg University in General Medicine. The total number of applications for accreditation at St Petersburg University in 2022 is 541 for all specialities.

    From 25 June to 1 July, 100 students in bachelor’s, specialist’s, master’s and aspirantura programmes had their graduation project defences.

    The meetings of 33 State Assessment Committees took place:

    From 100 project defences 81 people (81%) were graded as "excellent", 16 people (16%) — "good", and 3 people (3%) — "satisfactory".

    From 25 June to 10 June 2022, state exams were held for aspirantura students in Philology.

    Following the results of the final state examinations, the students have filed no enquires to the appeal committees.

    International activities

    International activities at St Petersburg University were analysed at the recent Rector’s meetings (minutes of the Rector’s meetings dated 14 March 2022, 6 June 2022, 14 June 2022, 20 June 2022, and 27 June 2022). According to Deputy Rector for International Affairs Sergey Andryushin, a number of new events happened last week.

    Traditional workshops held by the working groups of the Korea—Russia Dialogue Forum (KRD)

    On 24 June, a workshop of the specialists on the "Mass Media and Civil Society" working group of the KRD took place (Infodemic and information hygiene: the KRD working group discusses the problem of fake news). The specialists discussed the following questions: the issues of distorting historical facts; the measures of countering the spread of fake news; possibilities to increase the professional level of Russian and Korean journalists and their awareness of international issues.

    Welcoming remarks were said by Nikolay Kropachev and Lee Kyu Hyung, the Chairs of the Coordinating Committees of the KRD, as well as by Vitaly Ignatenko, Co-Director of the "Mass Media and Civil Society" working group and President of the World Association of Russian Press, and Lim Kwang Kyu, Director of the National Assembly TV channel.

    At the end of the workshop, Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, noted that university education alone might not be enough to work in mass media and that many problems of Russian journalism related to fakes and other issues can be solved if specialists are allowed to work as journalists not just on the basis of a university degree, but upon passing a professional examination with an independent association. Journalists with accreditation from this association should be able to control ethical standards as well as revoke granted accreditations.

    On 30 June, a workshop of the specialists on the "Economics, Trade and Resources" working group of the KRD took place. Lee Kyu Hyung, Chairperson of the Korean Coordinating Committee of the Korea—Russia Dialogue Forum (KRD), and Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University, Professor in the Department of Economics of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, said welcoming remarks.

    At the event, the experts of Russia and the Republic of Korea discussed current issues of cooperation between the two countries in the Arctic and the Far East: scientific and technological cooperation, cooperation in the sphere of shipbuilding, logistical routes, development of the Northern Sea Route, upgrading communication and navigation systems, modernising seaports. The experts noted that digital transformation and innovative cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence play a significant role in the development of these regions.

    Participation of St Petersburg University in the Forum of the Association of Universities in Russia and Belarus

    St Petersburg University participated in the 6th Forum of the Association of Universities in Russia and Belarus that took place from 28 June to 1 July in Grodno, together with the 9th Forum of the Regions of Russia and the Republic of Belarus. The Russian delegation was headed by Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Over 700 representatives of universities and regions from the two countries took part in the events.

    At the session devoted to academic cooperation as the foundation for sustainable development in the social sphere Sergey Andryushin, Deputy Rector for International Affairs, delivered a report on the potential of St Petersburg University, its international activity and cooperation with the Belarus partners as a factor of mutual development of the universities and the social sphere of the Union State. Negotiations with the Belarus State Economic University, Belarus State University, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno and other universities of the Republic took place on the margins of the forums. The parties discussed the issues of academic mobility and the creation of network academic programmes.

    Meeting with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

    On 28 June, a meeting between the representatives of St Petersburg University and the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University took place. During the meeting, Piotr Yablonsky, Vice-Rector for Medical Activities, and Ivan Pchelin, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, gave a comprehensive presentation of the medical field at St Petersburg University and the possibilities of the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University. The sides discussed the possibility of concluding a cooperation agreement, creating programmes based on the double degree model in the field of medicine, organising joint conferences and holding joint research in the field of Chinese medicine.

    Meeting with the partners from Daejin University

    On 30 June, the second online meeting with the Korean colleagues from Daejin University took place. The following issues were discussed at the meeting:

    • the way both universities see the format of future cooperation; implementation of joint events; the process of preparing, approving and signing the cooperation agreement between St Petersburg University and Daejin University
    • the acceptable format of student exchange at the initial stage of partnership (opinions and experience were exchanged; details of the student exchange protocol were considered)
    • participation of Daejin University in the "Representative Office of St Petersburg University" project (Korean colleagues requested information on the goals, directions and nature of the joint events within the framework of the current project; potential partners were especially interested in the practical experience of implementing the ‘Representative Office of St Petersburg University’ project at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the issues of organising and holding testing in Russian as a foreign language in the Republic of Korea)
    • the prospects of creating a double degree programme in the fields of mutual interest: for example, the Korean side talked about the interaction of Daejin University with Chinese and Vietnamese universities; it was suggested that a possibility of joint participation in the Global Business academic programme implemented in English should be examined.

    Korean partners learned about the existing experience of interaction between St Petersburg University and international partner universities, the process of planning and holding joint events. The representatives of St Petersburg University showed readiness to discuss all the issues related to the implementation of the concluded agreements with their partners in an open and constructive manner.

    Open lecture organised by the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain

    On 29 June, the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain held an online lecture "Angels and Demons: Andrey Bely, Valery Bryusov, Nina Petrovskaya". It continued the cycle of conferences "The Story of One Love". The lecture was given by Anna Silyunas, a theatre and art critic, Director of the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain.

    Online conference at the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain

    On 30 June, the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain held an online conference devoted to Mikhail Glinka and Igor Stravinsky, prominent composers and graduates of the Imperial St Petersburg University. Galina Zhukova, a pianist, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts at St Petersburg University, Head of the "Academic Singing" academic programme, gave a lecture. The year 2022 marks the 140th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s birth, and the year 2024 will mark the 220th anniversary of Mikhail Glinka’s birth. The lecture was a part of the preparation for the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, the first university in Russia, to be celebrated in 2024.

    Situational analysis "Outlines of the new world order for Central Asia: old and new threats and risks, new possibilities"

    On 27 June, the Centre for Eurasian Studies at St Petersburg University, in partnership with the Centre for Eurasian Studies at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University and the Information and Analytical Centre at Lomonosov Moscow State University, held an online situational analysis on the topic "Outlines of the new world order for Central Asia: old and new threats and risks, new possibilities". The event was attended by experts from St Petersburg University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences, RUDN University, as well as renowned experts from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. Fabrissi Vielmini, an analyst at the Vision & Global Trends Centre in Italy, also took part in the event.

    The possible scenarios of the situation in the regions were considered within the framework of two conventional scenarios in the context of global opposition of the USA and Western countries ("West") with Russia, the People’s Republic of China, Iran and other countries ("non-West"). The first scenario is "mild", more positive or "soft". In this scenario, certain new rules of conduct in the relations between the "West" and "non-West" will be formed relatively soon following the results of the opposition. Sanctions are partially reduced, while the military and political competition takes peaceful political and diplomatic forms. The sides of the global opposition return to the activity mostly within the field of international law. A major part of states, including the countries of Central Asia, takes the position of "non-alignment" and has space for manoeuvring in their international policy.

    The second scenario is more negative. In this case, global opposition remains strained, geopolitical polarisation increases, no rules are observed, the sides of the global conflict act mostly based on the situation, the role of international institutions remains formal, and the level of opposition of the external power centres in Central Asia escalates. The countries of Central Asia face a stark choice, when they have to take a side or take part in the conflict indirectly.

    Most participants of the situational analysis agreed that the paradigm of the second scenario is more realistic. In this regard, they assessed a wide range of risks in the region, underscoring that it is highly probable that the USA and the European Union will introduce secondary sanctions against the states of the region. At the same time, in view of the current reformatting of the global system of international relations, the location of Central Asia in the vicinity of Russia, China and Iran opens various possibilities in the field of cross-border communications, which may change the geo-economic situation in the larger region of Eurasia turning Russia eastwards.

    The 10th International Conference of the European Council for Social Research on Latin America (CEISAL)

    The 10th International Conference of the European Council for Social Research on Latin America (CEISAL) was concluded in Helsinki. St Petersburg University was represented by Professor Viktor Kheifets in the Council management. About one thousand representatives of Latin America from Europe and the countries of Latin America took part in discussing the most important scientific issues, current social, political and economic problems. During the CEISAL International Conference, St Petersburg University, together with colleagues from the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, organised a separate section, where the representatives of Russia, Mexico, Columbia and France made presentations.

    At the CEISAL General Assembly, the composition of the Supervisory Board was updated. The Board coordinates the activity of this prominent European research association between the conferences. The General Assembly participants unanimously approved the Ibero-American Studies Centre at St Petersburg University as part of the Supervisory Board for the period of 2022-2025. The Centre is headed by Professor Viktor Kheifets, Head of the ‘BRICS Studies’ master’s programme, Editor-in-Chief of the "Latin America" — a leading scientific journal in the field in Russia. Research centres from Finland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Hungary and France were among other participants of the Board.

    The results of the competition for the best dissertation in Latin American Studies were announced at the Conference. The award was given to Agata Bloch from Poland. The jury also praised the dissertation by Oksana Katysheva titled ‘The Evolution of the Foreign Policy in Mexico in 2000-2018’ defended in the Dissertation Council created at St Petersburg University in 2020. Oksana Katysheva completed her studies in the bachelor’s, master’s and aspirantura programmes at St Petersburg University.

    Students of Law at St Petersburg University provide legal support to the students and staff due to the suspension of cooperation between St Petersburg University and a number of organisations

    A working group of seven master’s programme students was created at the Legal Clinic at St Petersburg University to help the University students, teachers and staff to issue claims related to the suspension of work between St Petersburg University and different organisations, foundations and international universities. The working group will be supervised by Anastasiia Baranova, Tutor in the Legal Clinic (a.baranova@spbu.ru). Students should send their claims and inquiries to the electronic address of the Legal Clinic: urclinika@spbu.ru.

    Results of the competition for young researchers

    On 1 July, the Russian Science Foundation summed up the results of the competition for grants on ‘Initiative research by young researchers’ and ‘Research by research teams supervised by young researchers’ as well as the competition to extend the projects by the youth groups of the Presidential programme for research projects started in 2019.

    According to Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research, following the competition results, the Russian Science Foundation supported 507 initiative projects by young researchers with the annual funding of up to 2 million roubles per project, 403 youth research groups with the annual funding of up to 6 million roubles, and extended the funding for 147 grants started in 2019.

    Competition of initiative research projects by young researchers

    The Russian Science Foundation allocates grants for young researchers, candidates of sciences under 33 years old. The amount of the grant is up to 1.5 million roubles per year for two years. Over 1.5 thousand applications were submitted. St Petersburg University took second place in the competition for initiative projects among all research organisations in Russia in the number of supported projects (15), giving up first place to Lomonosov Moscow State University (37). National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University took third place receiving 14 projects.

    St Petersburg University submitted 41 applications for the competition of initiative projects. As a result, every third application of St Petersburg University was supported (37 %). The Institute of Chemistry demonstrated the best results with five supported applications out of eight.

    Comparative analysis of the number of submitted and supported applications for the competition of initiative projects was performed per subdivision at St Petersburg University.

    The distribution of the supported projects at St Petersburg University in the directions of the Scientific and Technological Development Strategy of the Russian Federation is presented in the table.

    Competition for the groups of young researchers

    The Russian Science Foundation allocates grants for young candidates and doctors of sciences under 35 years old. The amount of the grant is up to 6 million roubles annually for three years, with a possibility to extend the grant for two more years based on the competition. Over 1.4 thousand applications were submitted.

    St Petersburg University took second place in the competition among all research organisations in Russia in the number of supported projects (21), giving up first place to Lomonosov Moscow State University (37). The third place was shared by Kazan Federal University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and ITMO University, that received support for ten projects each.

    St Petersburg University submitted 43 applications for the competition among research groups supervised by young researchers. As a result, every second application of St Petersburg University was supported (49%). The Institute of Chemistry demonstrated the best results with seven supported applications out of twelve.

    The distribution of the supported projects at St Petersburg University in the directions of the Scientific and Technological Development Strategy of the Russian Federation is presented in the table.

    Extension of the projects by the youth groups of the Presidential programme for research projects started in 2019

    Following the results of the competition, 147 out of 191 youth groups received permission to extend their projects. Lomonosov Moscow State University takes first place in the number of supported projects (15). ITMO University takes second place (8), and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University takes third place (6).

    St Petersburg University submitted seven applications for the competition. Three applications received support (43%). The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science demonstrated the best results with two supported applications.

    Informing about the refusal to publish articles in scientific journals and / or non-justified extension of the article review period by reviewers

    On 20 May, the Research Support Service received an electronic inquiry by Olga Deyneka, Professor in the Department of Political Psychology, seeking advice on the possibility to have a publication in the Q1 journal paid from the funds of the Russian Science Foundation grant. She reported the following problem: at the stage of uploading the article text into the journal electronic system, an additional notification was generated requesting the author to provide her consent that the funds for journal publications will be directed to support Ukraine.

    Following the inquiry by Olga Deyneka to the Virtual Reception, it was clarified that the state budget grant funding cannot be directed towards the publication payment that will be further transferred for the benefit of Ukraine.

    To prevent the cases of publication payments from budgetary funds based on the above-mentioned conditions, the University research and teaching staff were forwarded a newsletter with a request to inform about similar situations and forward the information to the Research Support Service, attaching confirmatory materials (scans of e-mails from the journals, and print screens of messages from the information systems to name just a few).

    Moreover, due to the current global political situation in the recent month, journals of primarily international publishing houses have been refusing Russian researchers to publish their research results. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation has sent a request to St Petersburg University to provide information about the refusal to publish articles in research publications and / or non-justified extension of the article review period by reviewers in the international journals indexed in the Scopus and WoS international databases. According to the request, the data on publications in the world-class research centres ("Agrotechnologies of the Future" at St Petersburg University), and world-class mathematical centres (Leonhard Euler International Mathematical Institute at St Petersburg University) should be directed every quarter.

    The information about the above-mentioned cases should be sent to the following electronic address: science@spbu.ru.

    Changes in human resources

    Starting 1 July 2022, Maksim Kamenkov has been appointed Head of the Control and Revision Department. Previously, he took the positions of an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and Acting Head of the Control and Revision Department.

    Starting 1 July 2022, Aleksandr Zavgorodnii, has been transferred to the position of Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law. Previously, he took the position of the Head of the Military Training Centre. Aleksandr Maslikov has been appointed Acting Head of the Military Training Centre. Previously, he took the position of the Head of the Training Unit and Acting Head of the Military Training Centre.

    Starting 4 June 2022, two new positions of deputy vice-rectors for Human Resources have been introduced. One of them has been taken by Laura Useinova, who previously worked as the Head of the Administrative Control Department. The other position has been taken by Anton Popov, who previously worked as the Director of the Centre of Expert Advice.

    Video: works on restoration, capital repairs, technical refurbishing and adjusting the cultural heritage site of federal importance the Menshikov Palace (the First Cadet Corps) for modern use

    The staff of the Public Relations Department at St Petersburg University prepared a video talking about the history of buildings given to St Petersburg University at the end of 2011. Those were the building of the First Cadet Corps that previously hosted the Military Academy of Logistical Support "General of the Army A. V. Khrulyov". The unsatisfactory condition of the buildings did not allow for using them during the academic process, so the repair and restoration works were initiated.

    According to Polina Ogorodnikova, Acting Head of the Public Relations Department, the restoration process of the corner rooms at the Menshikov Palace on the University Embankment transferred to the Cadet Corps in 1730-s is particularly interesting. During the restoration activity, many unique objects of the 17th and 19th centuries were found there.

    An ice storage room, a special wooden place to store groceries, holds a unique position. According to the University experts from the Lebedev Laboratory of Archaeology, Historical Sociology and Cultural Heritage at St Petersburg University. It was constructed during the time of Peter the Great in the house of the Emperor’s associate. The food stored in the ice storage room was also served to Peter the Great and his companions (Archaeologists from St Petersburg University begin restoration of Menshikov Palace’s 300-year-old ice storage room).

    Moreover, during the restoration of the First Cadet Corps, the University archaeologists found over 10,000 unique artefacts that reveal details about the everyday life of the citizens of St Petersburg in the 18th century: handwritten documents, coins, footwear, fragments of utensils and ceramics, wigs, playing cards and many other things (Archaeologists from St Petersburg University make over 10,000 finds in the First Cadet Corps).

    The restoration specialists made architectural discoveries alongside the archaeological ones. They could determine the exact shades of the façade of the Menshikov Palace, stating that its walls were graphite grey decorated with white jamb lining, mouldings and pilasters with capitals made of light yellow dolomite (Graphite grey walls and lemon column caps: the original look of the Menshikov Palace presented at St Petersburg University).

    Learn more about the unique discoveries made in the vicinity of the Twelve Collegia building in the video published on the official channel of St Petersburg University on RuTube, and on the University telegram-channel.