Recently, an HSE delegation led by Rector Nikita Anisimov visited China. During the visit, the parties reached agreements to expand the portfolio of joint educational and research projects with some of the country’s leading universities. This article from the HSE News Service explores the development of HSE University’s cooperation with its Chinese partners.

In 2024, Ikenna Mbata, from Owerri, Nigeria, enrolled on the Master’s in Science, Technology and Innovation Management and Policy at ISSEK in Moscow. After two years of studies, on June 1, 2026 he successfully defended his master’s thesis ‘The Spatial Distribution of Pharma Start-ups in Africa: An Analysis of Innovation Clusters and Policy Drivers.’ In his interview with the HSE News Service, Ikenna speaks about his research topic, the role of HSE University in shaping his skills, the importance of volunteering, and the benefits of studying in an international environment.

The second Indo-Russian Education Summit (IRES 2026) took place in New Delhi on May 28–29. This year, the event brought together more than 70 leading Russian and Indian universities. Representatives from HSE University’s Moscow and St Petersburg campuses introduced prospective students to the university’s educational opportunities at the exhibition and shared their experience in developing Russian–Indian academic cooperation.

Scientists from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod and the Institute of Physics Belgrade, Serbia, are jointly exploring the application of machine learning techniques and neural networks to the study of nonlinear dynamics. Natalya Stankevich, Leading Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Topological Methods in Dynamics of the Faculty of Informatics, Mathematics, and Computer Science at HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod, spoke to the HSE News Service about this international project.

Polina Tabakova decided to apply for a Philology degree at HSE in Nizhny Novgorod because she grew up in Mari El and did not want to move far away from the Russian forests. In an interview for the Young Scientists of HSE University project, she spoke about the genre of the campus novel, the existential drama of Kolobok, and a blackout version of Eugene Onegin.

Forbes Education has published its ranking of the top 20 Russian universities with the strongest reputations among employers. As in recent years, HSE University secured first place with a reputation index of 98 points. In addition, 67.2% of employers stated that they trust the quality of education provided by HSE University, an increase of three percentage points compared with last year.

Researchers from the AI and Digital Science Institute at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science have developed a new compression method for large language models such as GPT and LLaMA that reduces their size by 25–36% without additional training or significant loss of accuracy. This is the first approach to use mathematical transformations—specifically, rotations of model weights—to make models more amenable to compression with structured matrices. 

On May 23, 2026, the V International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Discovering the World of Science’ took place in Kazan at the Preparatory Faculty for International Students of Kazan Federal University. Four students of the HSE International Preparatory Year took part in the event: two delivered their presentations in person, while two participated online.

This year, third-year students of the International Relations programme Arsenii Armanshin and Arkady Tsvetkov travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the Africa Track. They secured internships with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). In an interview with the HSE News Service, they spoke about their journey, work responsibilities, and the experience they gained.