MIL-OSI Russia: HSE to Expand Cooperation with Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Develop Advanced Solutions

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

The Higher School of Economics hosted the Day of Acquaintance between the University and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI). The parties presented their research and analytical projects and outlined areas for joint work. The task of scientists and experts is to increase efficiency and accelerate the implementation of breakthrough scientific developments in a wide range of areas – from economic forecasts to neuroprosthetics.

First Vice-Rector, Director Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Leonid Gokhberg, opening the meeting, noted that the focus of the cooperation between the university and ASI is neurotechnology, development of regions and cities, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, etc. The university has strong teams of scientists in many disciplines, modern databases on various aspects of the country’s socio-economic development have been formed, Leonid Gokhberg emphasized. HSE teachers and research staff annually publish more than 3 thousand articles in leading world journals, including 40% of all Russian reports on artificial intelligence at international A* conferences, and also carry out more than 600 research projects.

HSE is one of the most important partner universities for the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, which has the potential to develop breakthrough solutions, which is extremely important for ASI, said Georgy Belozerov, Deputy Director General of ASI. “We are not a financial institution, we do not allocate money, but we help overcome administrative barriers that can hinder the emergence and implementation of new initiatives,” he said. Georgy Belozerov believes that an important task of ASI is to identify and scale up successful regional practices and transfer advanced experience to other territories.

During the meeting, representatives of ASI and HSE presented promising projects. Thus, Director of the Center for Creative Economy Development of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Ekaterina Cherkes-zade believes that the creative economy can become one of the key drivers of the country’s development. “We are striving to build a new block of the economy so that artists in Russia are not hungry, so that creative industries influence the social sphere and related industries,” she said. Among the possible joint areas of work, Ekaterina Cherkes-zade highlighted strategies and forecasts for the development of creative industries until 2030 and 2036 and the creation of regulations aimed at stimulating the creative economy.

Director of the ASI National Ratings Center Mikhail Utkin noted: “The main objective of our ratings is not to rank, but to offer the best solutions.” Currently, the center, in cooperation with the HSE, is improving methods in accordance with new challenges, including refining indicators and algorithms for their calculation. A promising task for joint efforts is the creation of an evidence-based information base.

HSE representatives spoke about fundamental and applied projects. Director of the HSE ISSEK Center for Strategic Forecasting Mikhail Goland reported on the preparation of the report “Scenarios for the Development of the Russian Economy in the Context of Geopolitical Turbulence” dedicated to the analysis of possible scenarios for the development of key areas of the economy and social sphere for the period up to 2030-2036. The report is updated annually, it is registered as know-how, and access to it is provided under a license. A number of large state and private companies have already acquired the corresponding licenses. Along with the report, HSE specialists regularly prepare accompanying materials, including reviews of Russian and foreign forecasts, unique databases, specialized consensus forecasts based on a survey of more than 500 leading Russian experts, and quarterly reviews of the Russian economy and social sphere in 14 key areas. Access to all of this analytics is provided to businesses on a commercial basis.

HSE Director for Regional Cooperation Natalia Ryazantseva recalled that HSE projects are being implemented in 62 regions of Russia. The university has implemented 250 urban and regional development projects, created integrated systems for monitoring and forecasting key indicators of the socio-economic development of regions and cities. They objectively reflect the development of entrepreneurship and human potential, demographic processes and the situation on the labor market. Particular attention was paid to projects for the integrated development of territories. Striking examples of the university’s developments were the renovation projects of Norilsk and the expansion of its green and park areas, as well as the creation of a health quarter on the basis of the National Center of Medicine in Yakutsk.

Deputy Director of the HSE ISSEK Pavel Rudnik added: “Machine learning and big data analysis methods play an increasing role in our research on regional development. Thus, to assess a wide range of socio-economic development indicators in an automated mode, we actively use the ISSEK system for intelligent analysis of large volumes of dataiFORA“.

Director Center “Russian Cluster Observatory” ISSEK HSE Evgeny Kutsenko reported that his team has been systematically studying innovations in regions and cities since 2012. Thus, in September of this year, the third issue was presented at the forum “Cloud Cities. Forum on the Future of BRICS Cities”Innovative attractiveness ranking of world cities — HSE Global Cities Innovation Index 2024, covering more than 1,000 agglomerations in 144 countries. By collecting data on 90 different indicators, it was possible to fully cover three areas: technological development, creative industries and the quality of the urban environment. Among the longest-running studies of the center, he also named the Rating of Innovative Development of Subjects of the Russian Federation, the 9th issue of which was published in August of this year. Among the landmark works, the Atlas of Economic Specialization of Russian Regions, the Rating of Creative Regions of Russia, reports on creative specializations of Russian cities, import dependence of Russian subjects and the potential for their cooperation with the EAEU countries in the industrial sphere, as well as monitoring of entrepreneurial activity were noted.

Deputy Director Institute “Development Center” HSE University Sergey Smirnov reported that the institute is completing the development of a database of regional forecast indicators up to 2030, comparable with the overall forecast for Russia. The nowcasting method is used for current forecasts, and longer-term forecasts are developed based on the production function.

Director Geodata Center Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technologies, National Research University Higher School of Economics Tatyana Aniskina spoke about the rating of regions by the level of climate risks, which assesses the risks and probability of natural disasters. Another major area was the assessment and support of climate projects aimed at increasing carbon absorption through afforestation.

Director of the National Research University Higher School of Economics scientific research and development Igor Sokolov spoke about neurocognitive research, including the development of clinical neurotechnologies for preserving cognitive functions. Currently, the HSE neurocluster has an international team of researchers and unique scientific equipment, including an automated system of non-invasive brain stimulation with the ability to synchronously record brain biocurrents and eye movement. A system of evidence of the influence of the urban environment on the physical and mental health of residents is being developed, which will make it possible to develop indices of the psychological well-being of the city. HSE scientists have created a neuroorthosis based on the principles of neurofeedback to restore motor functions of the upper limb in children with congenital or traumatic motor disorders, allowing for faster return of arm and hand functions. These developments can be extended to adults. According to Igor Sokolov, it is necessary to develop proposals in cooperation with the ASI to change the legal regulation of experimental medicine, which, on the one hand, will make it possible to expand the clinical base for the development of technologies, and on the other, will allow people in need of the latest treatment methods to receive modern medical care. “Everything is done in accordance with the HSE motto ‘Not for school, but for life’,” he is confident.

At the end of the meeting, Georgy Belozerov emphasized that many of HSE’s developments could become the basis for creating specific solutions, and proposed supplementing the cooperation plans and intensifying coordination in areas where HSE and ASI are conducting projects on similar topics. “The list of areas of our activity is not limited to the topics discussed today; during the discussion, I sketched out several dozen ideas. We have great potential for cooperation, and together with the agency team, we will continue to develop initiatives in the format of bilateral cooperation,” Leonid Gokhberg concluded.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.hse.ru/nevs/expertise/969586992.html

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

MIL OSI Russia News