From February 24 to 26, 2025, HSE University held its first training seminar in Iran, titled ‘BRICS: Structure and Cooperation Platforms Workshop.’ It was organised at the request of the Iranian side by the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, based at HSE, and the Centre for Progress and Development of Iran Presidency, in partnership with Pardis Technology Park, Shahid Beheshti University, the Iran National Innovation Fund, and the Iranian International Innovation District.

On March 16, the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre will hold the fifth CIBA—an annual educational conference devoted to creative industries. The event is organised by curators and students of HSE University-St Petersburg together with representatives of the New Stage. This year's topic is trend watching, as symbolised by Tetris—reflecting the need to adapt quickly and think ahead in the industry. Entry to the event is free, but advance registration is required.

HSE University hosted a presentation of the Centre for South Arabian Studies, established at the Faculty of Humanities. The centre’s work aims to enhance the study of languages and cultures while fostering closer collaboration with scholars and universities in the Arabian Peninsula. The presentation was attended by HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov and diplomats from Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Starting in 2025, the Bachelor's programme ‘Political Science and World Politics’ at HSE University-St Petersburg will train specialists not only in political science but also in international relations. This will increase graduates' career opportunities in analytics, diplomacy, and consulting. Learn more about the changes from the programme's academic supervisor and professors.

The HSE School of Foreign Languages is launching a new Russian-taught online master's programme: Chinese for Intercultural Business Communication. Maria Dubinina, the Programme’s Academic Supervisor, Associate Professor and PhD (China), shares its advantages and unique features.

Artificial intelligence can help in many areas, from legal contracts and business to medical examinations. But is it worth sharing the most intimate, ‘too human’ things with it—feelings, ideas, plans, developments, and innermost desires? Anna Kartasheva, a researcher at the International Laboratory for Applied Network Research at HSE University, discusses this in an interview with IQ Media.

The International Education Observatory initiative, launched by HSE University to focus on expert evaluation, analytics, and joint scientific research, has successfully completed the formation of a research network across all BRICS nations. South Africa was the final link, with the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand joining experts from Russia, China, India, and Brazil. 

A team of scientists from the HSE Centre for Cognition & Decision Making has studied how food flavours affect brain activity, facial muscles, and emotions. Using near-infrared spectroscopy, they demonstrated that pleasant food activates brain areas associated with positive emotions, while neutral food stimulates regions linked to negative emotions. This approach offers a simpler way to predict the market success of products and study eating disorders. 

After earning a degree from the Moscow Banking School, Ekaterina Dvoryantseva planned to pursue further studies in the field, but her plans were derailed by the 1998 crisis. After working in several roles, she joined Aeroflot and advanced to become manager of innovation. In this interview with Success Builder, she discusses how the company implements innovation, why you might run a polygraph test on a dog, and how to reclaim one's youth (spoiler: enrol in a master's programme at HSE University).