- A
- A
- A
- ABC
- ABC
- ABC
- А
- А
- А
- А
- А
Direct Dialogue with Leading Universities
© HSE Financial Office
An HSE delegation has held a series of meetings with leading Chinese universities: Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University, Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University, and Tongji University. The visit programme was organised by the Institute of Education.
The visit was led by Vice Rector for Economics and Finance Shamil Ahmetov and Director of the Institute of Education Evgeniy Terentev. The delegation also included representatives of the Centre for Financial and Economic Decisions in Education, members of the Financial Office, and international development specialists.
The main aim of the trip was to engage in direct dialogue with leading universities which, like HSE, are addressing the challenges of transforming higher education: strengthening financial sustainability, developing modern campuses, and identifying effective governance models.
According to Vice Rector Shamil Ahmetov, the visit made it possible to identify both similarities and differences in how Russian and Chinese universities approach the development of business models and financial sustainability.
— The visit focused on examining universities’ business models, their financial structures, and approaches to campus infrastructure management. During the meetings, we observed that universities of a comparable scale employ different models for revenue generation and campus governance. Particular attention is paid to the development of research activities, collaboration with corporations, and endowment funding instruments. The exchange of practices enabled us to identify areas that may contribute to further strengthening the university’s financial sustainability. Another important outcome was the consolidation of professional contacts, which provide a foundation for joint research and the exchange of experience in the economics of education.
The HSE vice rector noted that the experience gained will be systematised and taken into account in shaping the university’s financial and investment policy.
In turn, Evgeniy Terentev emphasised that the key value of the trip lay in the opportunity to understand the internal logic behind university development.
— Before the trip, we set ourselves two objectives. The first was to strengthen cooperation with our long-standing and highly valued Chinese partners. The second was to gain deeper insight into higher education governance and to hear first-hand, from university top management and leading researchers, how China’s higher education system is evolving today. Such insights cannot be fully captured from articles and reports alone—nuances, managerial logic, and real practices are essential. It is particularly valuable that, thanks to the Institute of Education’s extensive network of partners in China, we have the opportunity to engage in this dialogue and discuss these issues directly.
The meetings focused on universities’ financial models, the development of endowment funds, campus management, and collaboration with industry.
The trip was an opportunity not only to compare management practices but also to outline new avenues for cooperation—from joint research to the development of educational initiatives and exchange programmes. Colleagues from China are expected to take part in the XVII International Conference on Higher Education (ICHE), which will be held at HSE on October 28–30, 2026.
