About Research at HSE University

In today's dynamic and changing world, it is not sufficient to merely relay information to students and call it an education. With all the challenges that this new era brings, acquiring and honing skills, constant knowledge creation and information processing are key competencies that are required the world over. Russian universities, and in particular HSE, are founded on the concept of social and economic embeddedness, addressing regional and national problems head-on. Historically, their mission was to train highly qualified specialists for the regional and national economies.

However, in order to produce research worthy of international recognition enabling the participation of Russian higher education institutions in the global academic community, it is necessary to bridge the gap that exists between the academic and university sectors. To do so, we cannot completely ignore the national discourse and concern ourselves only with the supranational. While many consider the national and supranational to be opposing, HSE has succeeded in addressing both, and this is what renders our institution unique. We use the solutions to national and supranational challenges to create synergies. We embrace the challenge of globalization such that it does not give rise to conflict but rather benefits the development of the region, the market and the entire country. What’s more, the Higher School of Economics focuses on supporting and promoting the research activities of each and every employee.

The university is committed to ensuring that every faculty is engaged in developing the science of its field. Thus, separate institutions – both disciplinary and interdisciplinary – have been established to achieve greater efficiency in meeting the target goals. HSE’s efforts paid off when the university was included in 13 subject and two faculty rankings in the QS World University Rankings. In addition, HSE is ranked in the top 100 for three subjects – Economics & Econometrics, Politics & International Studies, and Sociology – and it is the only Russian school to make the Accounting & Finance 101-150 ranking. HSE came third in Russia for the number of subject rankings received overall and has been continually improving since the launch of the Russian Academic Excellence Programme, ‘Project 5-100’. HSE achieved top rankings in five new subject areas and has improved its position in almost all subjects where it was already featured. The QS World University Rankings accurately reflect the university’s achievements in science and education. They are the most reliable indicator of the quality of a school’s academic publications. In total, the ranking system assesses four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation (based on surveys), citations per article and the h-index. The reputation assessment for a particular field is carried out by experts in that field

Basic research aims to develop the social and natural sciences and exploit the university’s research potential to solve key social and economic problems. All research projects, both those in the development phase and those which have reached completion, undergo independent external review. Our research projects address health care, education, social welfare, microeconomics, and economic and technological development.

Applied research has allowed the university to build a strong model for collaboration between academia, business and society. By commercializing research innovations and forecasts, and by completing projects commissioned by state institutions, state-owned companies and private business, the HSE has become one of the largest research and innovation centres in the country in the social and economic sciences.

Monitoring studies, carried out by the HSE serve as a source of relevant information for state agencies, the mass media and other researchers. Among the most commonly cited are Monitoring the Business Climate for the Real and Service Sector Enterprises, the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), and Monitoring Enrollment in Russian Universities.

The HSE regularly hosts academic discussions in which international experts take part. The most notable event is the annual April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development. Researchers from Russia and abroad attend alongside heads of the Russian government, Russian Presidential Administration, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as the major Russian and foreign companies.

Research divisions at HSE

HSE operates more than 140 research institutes and centres, and more than 50 centres of excellence led by foreign scholars, including the Nobel laureate Eric Maskin and the Fields medal laureate Andrey Okunkov. Separate institutions – both disciplinary and interdisciplinary – have been established in order to achieve greater efficiency in meeting the target goals.

Our staff

The Higher School of Economics was the first state-run university in Russia to begin recruiting on the international academic market. We proceed from the understanding that the university, which responsibly approaches the training of new professionals, should select as teachers people who have real experience, as well as basic and applied knowledge.

HSE Research in Facts and Figures