Evgenia V. Serova

Meet Deborah Obasa and Amos Adebisi Oluwadamilare, a dynamic duo from Nigeria who are partners not only in life but also in academia. While pursuing their international master's degrees at HSE University, they fully embraced the vibrant life of Moscow. In an interview with the HSE News Service, Deborah and Amos share their experiences of studying at HSE, adjusting to life in Moscow with a newborn in arms, and achieving academic success.

The summer break is an opportunity for hard-working HSE University students to relax, recuperate, explore the city and travel. Two such students, Daniel Suarez from Colombia and Oluwafunto Abimbola from Nigeria, share their experiences of the positives (and pitfalls) of summer in the city and life at HSE dormitories.

On November 9, 2021, HSE University signed a memorandum of understanding with Wageningen University & Research, a major university in the Netherlands and one of the leading agricultural research institutes in the world. Participants of the signing ceremony included HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov, President of the Wageningen University & Research Executive Board Professor Louise Fresco, and Dutch Ambassador to Russia Gilles Beschoor Plug.

The representatives of company «Innopraktika», the Institute for Agrarian Studies of Higher School of Economics, NCO «Roskachestvo», Russian National Organic Union, company «PhosAgro», Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, leading experts from Wageningen University (the Netherlands) and company “Ecocert” (France) discussed the possibilities for development of educational programmes for training of specialists on organic agriculture and shared experiences in financing and commercializing the scientific projects. The panel discussions took place within the framework of the Russian Agricultural Exhibition "Golden Autumn".

The world’s modern food systems are going through a fundamentally new stage of technological development known as Agriculture 4.0. This digital approach relies on the use of robotechnics, the Internet of Things, biotechnologies, and other smart solutions. Is Russian agriculture ready for this transformation? What should be the government’s role in this process? These issues are the focus of the report, ‘Innovative Development of Russian Agricultural Industry. Agriculture 4.0».

The Institute for Agrarian Studies was founded in October 2018 as a research department at HSE. It carries out research and expert analysis, as well as provides consulting services, in regards to agrarian economics and policy, and the development of agricultural markets and rural areas. It also aims to train highly qualified agriculture analysts. Evgenia Serova, HSE’s Director for Agricultural Policy and the head of the Institute describes below its research scope and development strategy.

The Higher School of Economics will become one of the government’s leading centres of expertise in the field of agricultural and ecological development, agrarian biotechnologies, rural areas, and the agroecological system as a whole. Additionally, the university will advise the government on methods for boosting agricultural exports and carrying out state regulatory reforms in waste management. This agreement was reached during a meeting between Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Gordeyev and the HSE researchers.