Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Rio de Janeiro hosted large-scale events — the second forum of university rectors from Russia, Brazil and Belarus, as well as the second forum of university rectors from the BRICS countries. The events were organized by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with the support of national rectors’ communities, including the Russian Union of Rectors. They became a powerful platform for strengthening academic ties and promoting joint initiatives. The forums were attended by more than 50 representatives of universities from Russia and Belarus, delegations from Iran, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Indonesia and more than 60 universities from Brazil.
At the section on educational cooperation, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky emphasized the unique role of BRICS in the modern world: In the conditions of international turbulence, it is education and science that are becoming the most important tools for finding joint answers to global challenges. The BRICS association is one of the few international platforms where interaction is built on the principles of mutual respect and equality, where there are no main ones, where everyone is equal and is committed to working together for the sake of a common future. We see that this approach is of interest and response to many countries. The creation of a ranking of BRICS universities is especially relevant in the conditions of political commitment of the headquarters of international rating agencies. The new system for assessing the quality of education is in great demand.
The Deputy Minister spoke in detail about the dynamic expansion of the association (the accession of new members: Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Indonesia) and the priorities of the educational agenda. This is the development of the BRICS Network University, recognition of qualifications, support for talented youth and the creation of its own BRICS university ranking.
The key sections and plenary session were held at the Museum of Tomorrow. SPbPU was represented by a delegation consisting of Vladimir Shchepinin, Director of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade; Ekaterina Belyaevskaya, Head of the Department of International Interuniversity Cooperation; and Nikita Lukashevich and Olga Ergunova, associate professors at the Graduate School of Management and Management. Vladimir Shchepinin spoke at one of the sessions, presenting the Polytechnic University as a key player in the scientific and educational space of Russia in the field of technological development. He drew the attention of the rectors’ community to the potential of SPbPU in solving the problems of sustainable development of the BRICS countries.
At the thematic session “Artificial Intelligence and Education in the BRICS Countries”, Olga Ergunova presented a report “AI Optimization of Human Resource Management in Smart Cities”, based on the results of a large-scale scientific project supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 25-28-01469). She described in detail the neural network model developed under the auspices of the RSF for forecasting and managing labor markets in the BRICS megacities (Shanghai, Bangalore, Moscow, Sao Paulo).
Olga Ergunova drew the attention of those gathered to a successful example of comprehensive cooperation between the BRICS countries — the international competition for young researchers “SMART CITY 2030: Sustainable Development Management of BRICS Cities”. The event was first held in 2024 in pilot mode and generated considerable interest. In 2025, the co-organizers of the competition are SPbPU, the Russian Institute of Tsinghua University (China), Lovely Professional University (India) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The Rectors’ Forum provided an opportunity to announce the expansion of the competition and invite new representatives of the BRICS countries to participate.
The SPbPU delegation held talks with existing partner universities in Brazil (these are nine leading universities in the country), and also met with new promising educational institutions and agencies. Among them are the Federal Agency for Technological Education, the Secretariat for Supervision and Development in Higher Education. Both agencies operate under the Ministry of Education of Brazil.
Polytechnic University signed cooperation agreements with the Federal University of Fluminense and the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.
During working meetings and negotiations with rectors and representatives of university delegations, projects in the field of joint research, academic mobility, joint educational programs of double degrees and the organization of summer schools were discussed.
In the context of changing global educational landscapes, Brazilian universities are becoming key centers for ensuring the scientific and technological sovereignty of the BRICS countries. Their competencies in the field of sustainable development, green economy, bioeconomy, agribusiness, artificial intelligence and other areas, supplemented by Russian fundamental science, form a unique ecosystem of cooperation, its integration into the BRICS educational space through the mechanisms of the BRICS Network University. They allow the creation of new formats of cooperation that combine academic mobility with applied research in areas that are strategic for the countries, noted Vladimir Shchepinin.
A pleasant surprise was the delegation’s meeting with a 1988 Polytechnic graduate, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora. He is currently a professor and holds the post of head of the Scientific Institute at the Federal University of Itajuba, a leading university in the field of electric power and electrical engineering. Electo Silva Lora spoke excellent Russian and recalled his teachers, professors at the Polytechnic University, with great warmth. He expressed a desire to renew scientific and academic ties with his alma mater and is already interacting with colleagues from the Institute of Power Engineering.
In addition, Olga Ergunova visited the leading business school of Latin America — FGV EBAPE (Getulio Vargas Foundation), holder of the prestigious “Triple Crown” of accreditations (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS). She held business negotiations with the director-dean of the school, Professor Flavio Carvalho de Vasconcelos and the head of the international department of Yuna Fontoura.
Representatives of the school expressed interest in cooperation with SPbPU. During the negotiations, specific steps were outlined: organizing academic exchanges, joint research in the field of innovation management, technological development and sustainable production.
For FGV EBAPE, it is always valuable to establish connections with leading universities in the world, such as SPbPU. We are interested in developing academic mobility and joint research initiatives, especially in areas related to technology and innovation, – emphasized Flavio Vasconcelos.
Universities in Brazil represent a huge potential for partnership. Of course, everyone understands the difficulties and cost of logistics between our continents, but even this does not become an obstacle for such innovative projects as, for example, the Smart Cities competition. A number of government agencies support the mobility of Brazilian students, and these opportunities should be used. Brazil has created the strongest scientific centers and technology hubs in the field of research into renewable energy, artificial intelligence, agricultural and food technologies, oil and gas. Colleagues are interested in joint publications, the development of postgraduate programs, international grants for joint research. There is a lot of work to do to turn today’s agreements into real projects with the participation of the Polytechnic University, – Ekaterina Belyaevskaya summed up.
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