Third ‘International Academic Cooperation of HSE University’ Open Competition Launched
Research (scientific) structural units of HSE University planning to conduct joint research with foreign universities and research centres are invited to take part in the competition.
The competition aims to develop and strengthen international research partnerships, expand the research agenda, and involve undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in scholarly collaborations in order to foster a sustainable academic research culture. Within the framework of joint projects, scholars from HSE University and international organisations combine their efforts to address pressing scientific challenges, hold reciprocal training seminars, and organise joint international events.
‘International Academic Cooperation of HSE University’ (IAC) is a strategic university project that was successfully launched in 2023, recalled Marina Litvintseva, Director for Advanced Research at HSE University. During the two previous calls, applications were submitted jointly with more than 50 universities and research centres from 14 countries worldwide. At present, 15 joint research projects are being implemented across a wide range of fields—from fundamental medicine to urban studies.
According to her, the results of joint projects with partners from China and Vietnam were presented at meetings of the Sub-Commission on Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the Intergovernmental Russia–China Commission and the Russian–Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation.
Marina Litvitseva
‘In the new third call, we are focusing on investigator-initiated research projects aimed at addressing challenges within the priority areas of scientific and technological development and contributing to the implementation of national projects designed to ensure technological leadership,’ Marina Litvintseva emphasised.
Olga Pochinka
International academic cooperation is one of the most successful areas of development at HSE University, believes Olga Pochinka, Head of the International Laboratory of Dynamical Systems and Applications at HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod and leader of the joint IAC project with Tongji University (China). ‘Strategic partnership between research teams from different countries promotes fruitful exchange of knowledge and the development of fundamental science and education, which is ultimately the purpose of such projects. This type of cooperation also leads to closer cultural ties between research teams, facilitating academic communication,’ she noted.
The joint project with the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (BIMSA) at Tsinghua University (China), implemented within the IAC framework, provides the laboratory with direct contact with one of the world’s leading mathematical centres, said Valery Gritsenko, Head of the International Laboratory for Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms and leader of the joint IAC project with BIMSA.
Valery Gritsenko
‘Our annual conferences in Moscow give early-career researchers the opportunity to speak alongside leading mathematicians from around the world and to present the latest research findings to an international audience. In China, we work with scholars from across the globe—this was clearly demonstrated by the international conference on the theory of automorphic forms held in Wuhan in the summer of 2025, which brought together nearly one hundred participants. The focus on the East set by HSE University’s International Academic Cooperation programme enables us to continue our international research activities without external restrictions,’ he emphasised.
Applications are accepted until May 26, 2026. In August–September, project initiators from HSE University will present their proposals at a meeting of the competition commission. The results of the competition are scheduled to be announced on September 21, 2026. The list of successful projects will be published on the HSE University website on October 1, 2026.
The implementation period for the winning projects is 2027–2029.
The maximum funding for each supported project will amount to 8 million roubles per year. The duration of each project is three years. Upon completion, an expert evaluation of effectiveness will be conducted, taking into account the fulfilment of the approved performance indicators and the research plan. If the project successfully passes the review, it may be extended.
Applications must be submitted online via the link provided (site in Russian). Further details about the application requirements are available on the website.
In March–April, individual consultations on the preparation and submission of applications for the ‘International Academic Cooperation of HSE University’ competition will be available. Requests for an individual consultation may be sent to labs@hse.ru.
Information about the implementation of projects that won previous competitions is also available on the website.
