HSE Faculty of Social Sciences Develops Partnerships with Chinese Universities
In summer 2026, the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) took several steps towards establishing closer ties with leading Chinese universities. The Faculty signed a landmark memorandum with one of China’s top technical universities and also began talks with Peking University. In addition, the International Laboratory for Digital Transformation in Public Administration, affiliated with FSS, held an international summer school in Moscow with the participation of Chinese colleagues.
HSE’s First Agreement with Huazhong University of Science and Technology
At the end of June, the Faculty of Social Sciences signed a memorandum of cooperation with Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), one of China’s leading universities in public administration, artificial intelligence, and digital research. Negotiations between FSS and HUST’s College of Public Administration had been ongoing since December of last year and culminated in the formal signing of the agreement at HSE on June 29, 2026. The memorandum was signed by Zhang Yao, Vice Chair of the HUST Committee, on behalf of Huazhong University, and by HSE Vice President Elena Odoevskaia on behalf of HSE University.
For the Faculty, the partnership is an important step towards strengthening international ties and broadening its research agenda, while for its Chinese colleagues it provides an opportunity to establish long-term cooperation with one of Russia’s leading universities. The parties expect the memorandum to provide a basis for joint educational projects and research in public administration, AI, and digital technologies.
During the meeting, the head of the Chinese delegation, Zhang Yao, called for cooperation in student exchanges and summer schools, as well as joint seminars for researchers working in artificial intelligence, public administration, and computer science.
The Faculty of Social Sciences proposed bringing together all the above-mentioned areas into a specialised English-language double-degree master’s programme. ‘It does not have to be a traditional Master’s in Public Administration, but rather a specialised programme focusing on the application of AI in public administration, while emphasising the in-depth study of e-government and the digital transformation of public administration. One year in China and one year in Russia,’ said Mikhail Strokan, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences for International Cooperation.
The memorandum will serve as the basis for further cooperation. The parties confirmed that an additional agreement on special quotas for student exchanges between FSS and HUST’s College of Public Administration will be concluded in the near future.
From Agreements to Action: A Summer School in Moscow
This summer was the first major practical step towards implementing these partnership agreements: Moscow hosted the summer school ‘Smart Regulation and Digital Policy,’ organised by the International Laboratory for Digital Transformation in Public Administration, affiliated with the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences. Under the leadership of Evgeny Styrin, the Laboratory has been working with colleagues from HUST for several years, but this year’s summer school brought together students, postgraduate students, academics, and practitioners from universities and organisations in Russia, the UK, China, and Israel for the first time. Over five days, the school featured lectures by leading Russian and international researchers, a seminar on academic publishing, field trips to Moscow's flagship digital hubs, project work, and presentations of the participants’ own solutions. Both HUST students and faculty members took part, some as participants and some as lecturers.
A New Dialogue with a Leading Chinese University
FSS’s expanding network of partnerships with Chinese universities is not limited to a single educational institution. This summer, Mikhail Strokan, Deputy Dean of the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences, visited Beijing, where he held talks with the School of Government at Peking University, one of China’s leading universities in the social sciences. He was welcomed by Tian Kai and Lu Jun, Deputy Deans of the School of Government, as well as other members of the School’s faculty. During the talks, the parties made plans to conclude an agreement providing for separate quotas for student exchange programmes between the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences and the School of Government at Peking University. The Chinese colleagues invited their HSE counterparts to visit the university for a formal signing ceremony for the new agreement during the current academic year.
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