Winning Expeditions of the First Wave of the ‘Rediscovering Russia’ Project Selection Announced

© HSE University

The first selection of winning expeditions of the inter-university student programme ‘Rediscovering Russia’ has been completed. The programme is being implemented by HSE University together with the presidential platform ‘Russia - Land of Opportunity’ and the ‘More Than a Trip’ programme. The Expert Council approved 47 applications, with 17 universities and 23 organisations among the winners. The expeditions will take place from April to July 2023 and will cover 41 Russian regions.

By taking part in the ‘Rediscovering Russia’ project, students get the opportunity to demonstrate their professional competencies, and go on an expedition to work on real tasks for the development of Russian regions, while regional teams get the support of the best young specialists in the country. The programme includes a wide range of expeditions with an emphasis on social and cultural spheres, education, ecology, urbanism, as well as technology and territorial development.

ANO ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity’ was established on May 22, 2018 at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The mission of the platform is to create the future of Russia, opening up equal opportunities for everyone. This organisation helps everyone to get opportunities for development, regardless of where they live, their specialization, or social status. It’s an open platform for communication between talented and motivated people of all ages, leading to an exchange of experience between schoolchildren, students, specialists, entrepreneurs, managers and volunteers. During the 4 years of the platform's work, about 18 million people from all regions of Russia and 150 countries of the world have joined the project, and more than 1,500 companies, universities, state and public organisations have worked with it.

Alexey Agafonov

‘Thanks to the project "Rediscovering Russia", many talented young people from all over the country can get an opportunity for professional growth during their student years,’ says Alexey Agafonov, First Deputy General Director of ANO ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity’’. ‘Students accept large-scale challenges for the development of regions and apply their professional skills. Our co-organizer, HSE University, calls this 'strategic volunteering.” I am sure that thanks to joint efforts this type of volunteering will be conscious and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the regions where students, mentors and partners will work.’

Photo: Maria Figura / Rediscovering Russia / Vkontakte

In the first wave of competitive selection, 113 universities and 47 organisations — commercial and non-profit, foundations, associations, state institutions, and development institutes from 62 Russian regions submitted their expeditions. 17 universities and 23 organisations were recognized as winners, with 47 applications for unique expeditions. In addition to the winning expeditions, a waiting list has been published on the project's website, applications from this can be accepted if any of the approved expeditions are cancelled.

‘Rediscovering Russia’ is an all-Russian inter-university programme of student expeditions. Students of the best universities participate in socially significant projects that improve life in the regions. The programme is being implemented by HSE University and the presidential platform ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity’.

Dmitry Zemtsov

‘We launched the "Rediscovering Russia" project at HSE University in 2017 as an accelerator for internal university expeditions. In 2022, having joined the ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity’ presidential platform, the project became federal, and in the new season, during the first wave of selection, we received more than 270 applications, and more than 40 universities and organisations became project partners. Students participating in the project solve real problems of strategic development by putting their knowledge into practice,’ says Dmitry Zemtsov, HSE University Vice-Rector, Chairman of the Expert Council of the ‘Rediscovering Russia’ competition. ‘I am sure that this season will bring high-quality results, the project will develop and even more regions will get the support of these young, talented specialists.’

This year, the expeditions are divided into three categories: “A Step Outside’ — short-term expeditions to the applicant's region, ‘Big Adventure’ — medium-term expeditions for up to 14 days in any of the Russian regions, and ‘Dream Journey’ — long expeditions for inter-university teams lasting up to 21 days. Medium-term expeditions were the most successful category: 23 out of 127 applications were selected.

Ivan Shulupin

‘The "Rediscovering Russia" project is a response to the request of young people who want to participate in the country’s development’ says Ivan Shulupin, General Director of ANO "More than a Trip". ‘I think it’s very important that within the framework of expeditions you can declare yourself as a promising specialist in the process of training.’

Photo: Olga Barashko / Rediscovering Russia / Vkontakte

The geography of the project has also expanded compared to last season: the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol have been added to southern regions of the project, and the Magadan region is included in the North. The selection of participants for the first expeditions has already started, and bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students from any Russian university, including international students, can apply to take part. The age of participants ranges from 18 to 35 years, and applicants in 2023 will be able to apply for expeditions starting in September.