Roundtable discussion with rectors of Russia's leading universities
Rectors' meeting (L to R): Igor Gorlinsky (SPbGU), Gregor Berghorn (DAAD Moscow), Nikolay Kropachev (SPbGU), Heike Peitsch (German Consulate General in St. Petersburg), Horst Hippler (HRK), Jörn Achterberg (DFG Russia), Jörg Steinbach (TU Berlin)
(18.12.13) On 9 December, German and Russian university rectors met in St. Petersburg under the aegis of the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH). Six delegates from the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) travelled from Germany to attend the event, while representatives of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) were also in attendance for the DWIH.
On the initiative of the German Rectors’ Conference and the Association of Leading Russian Universities, the association's chairman, Nikolay Kropachev, invited university representatives from both countries to take part in bilateral discussions in St. Petersburg. The roundtable discussion focused on current developments in the Russian university and research community. The topics under discussion included the impacts of Russia's academy and university reform on cooperation with Germany, the mobility of students and young researchers, the creation of joint courses and the mutual recognition of academic degrees. The DFG pointed to calls for proposals shared with Russian partner organisations which enable the joint funding of research projects at German and Russian universities.
These talks in St. Petersburg were the third meeting with Russian university rectors organised under the aegis of the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH). Previous events took place in Moscow in 2010 and St. Petersburg in 2011. This year, several rectors of German universities also attended for the first time (Duisburg-Essen, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Freiberg, HWR Berlin, Neubrandenburg and TU Berlin).