A New Dialogue: IR&GS and the Federal University of Minas Gerais Launch a Series of Joint Online Seminars

A new academic initiative between the World Faculty at HSE University and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, supported by the International Relations and Global Studies programme (IR&GS), was launched with an online seminar focused on the BRICS currency architecture. This event marked an important step in building a strong academic partnership between the two institutions.

On May 30, the partners held the first seminar titled "Approaches to BRICS-centric global monetary framework". The meeting forms part of a wider initiative aimed at strengthening academic ties, fostering academic staff and student engagement, and launching collaborative research projects. The seminar was organised by the International Relations and Global Studies programme.

Oleg Korneev, Academic Supervisor of the IR&GS programme, opened the event as the moderator, welcomed participants and emphasised the value of international academic dialogue.

Roberto Novaes, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazilian co-organizer of the seminar series, welcomed the Brazilian students in Portuguese and then addressed the Russian participants in Russian, highlighting the importance of closer ties between the two universities.

Alexandra Morozkina, Associate Professor at the School of World Economy and Deputy Dean for Research at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs delivered the key report. In a clear and engaging manner, she outlined the key approaches and challenges on the way to boosting settlements in national currencies of BRICS and potential for development of BRICS vehicle currency. Her talk sparked a lively discussion, with questions from both Roberto Novaes and several students and young researchers.

For example, Elizaveta Smolovik, Junior Research Fellow at the HSE Laboratory for Climate Change Economics, asked Professor Novaes about the prospects for Brazil–Russia dialogue both within BRICS and at the bilateral level. Meanwhile, second-year IR&GS student Timofey Petrov asked Alexandra Morozkina whether the absence of a formal BRICS institutional framework poses a serious obstacle to these currency initiatives.

The seminar proved to be not only a platform for thoughtful discussion but also the beginning of a new stage in international collaboration. The partnership will continue with further events in the seminar series, joint research, student exchanges, and deeper academic cooperation. Brazil remains a key priority for IR&GS's international engagement strategy, and this promising dialogue signals a strong foundation for future work.

The International Relations and Global Studies programme extends its thanks to Alexandra Morozkina and Roberto Novaes for their insightful contributions, and to all the colleagues and students who took part in the seminar.

This report was prepared as part of the International Relations and Global Studies Press Centre project. Text by Timofey Petrov, Year 2 student and Press Centre Coordinator.