The HSE Extends Partnership with Dutch Universities

The official Russia-Netherlands bilateral year, which features joint projects in science, culture, and education, has come to an end. During this past bilateral year, the HSE widely expanded its partnerships with its Dutch colleagues.

Martin Paul

The official Russia-Netherlands bilateral year, which features joint projects in science, culture, and education, has come to an end. In October and November, representatives of leading Dutch universities — in collaboration with the HSE administration and faculty supervisors — organized workshops and negotiations. As a result, several agreements were signed, including an agreement with the Radboud University Nijmegen. Dutch delegation, headed by Rector Sebastian Kortmann,  included Head of the International Office Marian Janssen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Daniel Wigboldus, Professor at Law Faculty Leonard Verburg, Vice Dean of Education of the Nijmegen School of Management Anna van der Vleuten, and Professor of political philosophy Evert van der Zweerde. Rector Sebastian Kortmann and leading professors of that university signed framework partnership agreements with the HSE. The partners are planning to organize student exchange programmes and conduct joint projects on sociology, law, philosophy, politics, management, and information technologies.

During this past bilateral year, the HSE widely expanded its partnerships with its Dutch colleagues. In October, a delegation from Maastricht University, headed by President Martin Paul, visited the HSE. During Paul’s meeting with HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed that provides for the opportunity to organize student and professor exchanges, and joint research projects between the two universities.

At the same time the HSE Directorate for International Cooperation, headed by Olga Moshkova, met with Paul Rüpp, President of the Avans University of Applied Sciences, and some of that university’s professors.  During the meeting, the participants discussed their existing student exchange programme (the HSE Faculty of Management takes part in the programme), and opportunities for cooperation in the field of design. In addition, at the end of October, heads and professors of the HSE Faculty of Design went to Eindhoven for Dutch Design Week, where they met with representatives of the Design Academy Eindhoven.

Chris van den Bourne, Director for International Cooperation at the Saxion University of Applied Sciences, also visited the HSE. He said that Saxion’s programmes are built around topical problems that society needs to solve, and that its research successes provide Saxion with close connections to regional businesses. Russia may find it useful to learn from their experience, in so far as intensifying international cooperation and contacts with business environments is one of the most important points of Russian university development programmes.  

In October, the HSE — with the support NUFFIC (a Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education) — organized a training workshop for heads of Russian university international departments. Hanneke Teekens, a prominent Dutch specialist in education and educational management, served as workshop moderator.

Oleg Seregin, the HSE news service