HSE and BSU: Advancing Collaboration Across All Key Areas
On December 4, 2024, a delegation from the Belarusian State University (BSU) visited HSE. Key topics discussed during the meeting included prospects for expanding inter-university cooperation, BSU's entry into the ‘Human Well-being in the Digital Environment of Smart Cities’ consortium, and collaboration opportunities in pedagogy, social sciences, and humanities. The meeting, organised by HSE's internationalisation departments, aimed to identify potential areas of partnership and strengthen existing collaboration.
HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov introduced HSE University to the guests from Belarus. ‘In its 32 years of existence, HSE has undergone a dynamic transformation and has become a truly classical university. We have faculties of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and geography, as well as a strong presence in humanities, social sciences, and education sciences. Essentially, we offer everything except a medical school,’ he explained. The rector also said that he had never been to Minsk and expressed enthusiasm about visiting the city and its leading university for the first time, hoping to implement joint projects.
BSU Rector Andrei Karol thanked HSE for the warm welcome. He emphasised that BSU is a leading university in Belarus. ‘We have almost 25,000 students, over 5,000 of whom are international. As for our academic disciplines, we too cover everything except medical and agricultural sciences,’ noted Andrei Karol.
HSE students and staff are well-acquainted with their BSU colleagues and regularly visit Belarus to participate in various events. ‘I know that HSE has personal contacts with our professors. This interaction is not formalised but filled with real-life collaboration,’ Andrei Karol added.
Veronika Saiganova, Dean of the BSU Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, spoke about the friendly relations established between the two universities. ‘Recently, our students invited yours to the “Human. Culture. Society” conference held in April 2024. This was done informally, without official letters. However, it is essential to elevate these interactions to a more institutional level,’ she suggested.
During the meeting, representatives from both universities explored various opportunities for collaboration. Academic exchanges, including student and faculty mobility and the sharing of knowledge and experience, were among the discussed formats. ‘I dream of having our students travel to you while we host yours, creating comprehensive exchange programmes,’ said Nikita Anisimov.
Evgeniy Terentev, Director of the HSE Institute of Education, welcomed the idea of implementing network programmes and knowledge exchange. ‘We are more of a research-expertise institute than a pedagogical one,’ he explained. ‘Although we offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes, we also have two unique programmes for adult professionals in managerial roles.’
Felix Azhimov, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Humanities, introduced his faculty to BSU colleagues and proposed ‘close collaboration in all areas of science,’ from history and Asian studies to linguistics and philology. He also promised to share HSE's 2025 academic events calendar with BSU so Belarusian students and faculty could participate.
For the past six years, HSE has hosted the International Conference of Young Scholars, ‘Alliance of Social Sciences,’ which involves students and doctoral candidates from various countries. Denis Stukal, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, expressed confidence that BSU's participation in this event could be another form of cooperation.
Evgeny Mikhaylenko, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development, spoke about the consortium ‘Human Well-being in the Digital Environment of Smart Cities.’ Currently, the consortium includes 11 universities from Russia and Belarus. ‘We suggest discussing practical issues in this area, including joint applications for grants,’ he said.
Konstantin Trofimenko, Director of the HSE Smart City Research Centre, noted that the consortium includes universities from Russia and Belarus with specific scientific expertise: ‘Each occupies its own research niche. Therefore, we propose focusing on particular areas of interest.’
The Belarusian State University is the leading national research and multidisciplinary university in Belarus, established in 1921 in Minsk. It ranks 387th globally and first in the country, according to QS rankings. BSU enrols over 24,500 students, 19% of whom are international (over 5,000 students). Its academic staff comprises 2,600 members, with 3% being foreign nationals.
BSU offers a broad range of programmes across 16 faculties, covering natural, exact, applied, humanities, social sciences, computer science, law, economics, and military training.
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