HSE University Starts Collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University in India

© HSE University

HSE University has signed a memorandum of understanding with India's leading university, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. All HSE campuses will participate in the collaboration. Under the memorandum, the two universities will share teaching experience, conduct joint research, and organise short-term academic and cultural exchange programmes.

HSE Vice Rector Victoria Panova emphasised that the importance of the relationship between Russia and India cannot be overestimated, whether in the context of the humanities or any other field.

Victoria Panova

‘The millennia-old history and rich cultural heritage of our two countries allow us to view global issues from a similar perspective, and the membership of Russia and India in BRICS only facilitates the opening of new and more promising directions for our partnership. Today, we learned that two new consulates will be opened in Russia, which means that students from India will have more opportunities to visit Russia. We constantly interact with colleagues from Indian universities and research organisations, and all HSE campuses notice the interest of foreign colleagues in deepening cooperation. On behalf of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, we also invited representatives of the Indian civil society and colleagues from JNU to the BRICS Civil Forum, and it was a pleasure to see them attend the event. This proves that we successfully communicate at all levels, not only at the highest ones,’ she said.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was established in 1969 and is named after India's first Prime Minister. It has gained a reputation as the most prestigious university in the country. The university consists of 14 schools, or faculties. According to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), JNU ranks first in India with a score of 3.91 on a 4-point scale, and second in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of the Ministry of Education in India. In 2017, the President of India awarded JNU with the title of 'Best University.'

Currently, HSE University has 11 cooperation agreements with partner organisations in India, including agreements on educational and scientific cooperation, and academic mobility.

In April 2024, HSE University became the first Russian educational institution to sign a cooperation agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) for conducting joint research and establishing academic and cultural ties.

In the same month, HSE University and the University of Delhi signed an agreement on strategic cooperation and joint actions. As part of this agreement, an HSE research hub will be established in Delhi. This hub will be open to all HSE students, teachers, and research groups involved in joint projects and will serve as a new platform for strengthening scientific and cultural contacts. Joint research will focus on the adaptation of population, government, and business to climate change, youth cultures and communities in India and Russia, ecological behaviour, and other related topics.

In April 2024, HSE University signed a cooperation and student exchange agreement with the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) in Dehradun, India. This was preceded by the Winter School, which took place in the winter of 2024 for students of the ‘Political Science and World Politics’ programme, the international bachelor's programme in Business and Economics, and the master's programme ‘International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region’ of HSE University in St Petersburg. The Winter School focused on the economic development, politics, and culture of India.

Since 2022, HSE campus in St Petersburg has been actively working to develop cooperation and sign new agreements with Indian universities.

HSE University is actively collaborating with Indian organisations in several areas as part of its ongoing projects under the Fundamental Research Programme. For example, the HSE Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience works with colleagues from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science and the University of Hyderabad on specific neuroscience-related issues. The HSE Faculty of Computer Science (Laboratory of Complex Systems Modeling and Control and Laboratory for Models and Methods of Computational Pragmatics) is also partnering with institutions in Chennai and Vellore in the fields of artificial intelligence and computational modeling.

Since 2021, the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge has been collaborating with the Ministry of Science and Technology of India on foresight studies through the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council. Separate joint research projects are being conducted on topics such as social turbulence risk analysis, decision-making modeling, and intellectual capital analysis with the participation of HSE Centres of Excellence.

Other Indian partners of HSE University include:

 Indian Statistical Institute, with a university-wide cooperation agreement signed in 2015;

 O. P. Jindal Global University, which has student exchange programmes and cooperation between law faculties, starting in 2018;

 SaiRam Institute of Higher Studies, with an agreement signed in 2021;

 United Service Institution of India, with a university-wide cooperation since 2022;

 International Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (ICPS), with an agreement as of March 2024.

The HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs hosts the Indian Club, which brings together researchers, teachers, and students who are interested in the history, politics, economy, and culture of India. The club organises scientific conferences and seminars with the participation of foreign scholars and Russian Indologists. It also conducts research projects and holds lectures for students and schoolchildren to help them develop a comprehensive understanding of India.

Within the HSE Faculty of Humanities, there is the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies, which offers an educational programme ‘Languages and Literature of India.’ The first group of students graduated in 2023, and another group has recently been admitted. The institute also conducts high-level research in Indology, organises scientific conferences, India Days, and other events.