INRTU and Harbin Institute of Technology Join International Agenda of BIEC 2026
Staff and students of INRTU, together with a delegation from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), took part in the international events of the Baikal International Ecological Congress (BIEC) 2026. They spoke at panel sessions on preserving natural resources, presented research projects at the Green Technologies exhibition, and planted trees on the shore of Lake Baikal.
The congress was held from September 24 to 28 in Irkutsk and Baikalsk. INRTU was one of the key participants in the forum. With the university’s support, around 20 representatives from HIT attended the event, most of them students and postgraduate students.
The forum’s business program opened with a panel session titled “International Cooperation in Preserving Natural Heritage.” Speakers, in a hybrid format, represented the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Association for the United Nations, the Aniva Marine Biological Station, the FAO Liaison Office with Russia, and universities from Russia and China. Participants discussed sustainable water management and water’s impact on food security.
INRTU Vice-Rector for International Affairs Stepan Bykov took part in the research part of the session. He spoke about the mechanisms the university uses to protect water resources.
Stepan Bykov focused on the ranking system that assesses universities’ contribution to sustainable development. According to him, INRTU is proud to rank in the 600-800 range in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. In this metric, the university holds third place among Russian universities. For specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), INRTU ranks first in Russia in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. In addition, in 2026 the university took third place in the world in the UI GreenMetric ranking.
“A university can move up in these rankings only if it conducts environmental research. The results of this research must be visible, that is, published and cited,” the Vice-Rector emphasized.
Stepan Bykov also spoke about INRTU’s international projects related to the environmental agenda and protection of Lake Baikal. Cooperation with HIT occupies a special place. With support from Chinese colleagues, the Clean Water Center was established. In 2023, the universities launched a master’s program in environmental engineering. En+ Group sponsors INRTU students' four-semester stays in Harbin.
Cooperation between INRTU and HIT also covers science and education. The two universities submit joint grant proposals for basic research, host summer and winter schools for Chinese students in Irkutsk, and have held the “Baikal, the Pearl of the World” expedition for many years. INRTU also works closely with Nanjing University, including organizing expeditions to the Yangtze River valley.
Fan Shengqiang, a staff member of HIT, continued the discussion. He reported that HIT has implemented a digital model capable of predicting changes in the aquatic ecosystem 10-30 days in advance. The system makes it possible to use a minimal set of sensors and key indicators. This makes the process much faster, cheaper and more accurate compared to standard methods.
On the opening day of the congress, the Green Technologies exhibition also opened at SibExpoCenter. One of INRTU’s 10 stands showcased research by its partners from HIT. Visitors could view videos and posters on solid waste, the aquatic environment, and the use of AI in nature conservation.
Last Saturday, congress participants went to the “Baikal Ecosystem” reforestation forum. The event took place at the site of the former Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant. There, INRTU representatives and Chinese colleagues planted pine trees. More than 20 HIT postgraduate students, staff from the International Affairs Directorate, and students from the Baikal School of BRICS, who come from Mongolia, Ghana, India and Nigeria, joined the tree-planting campaign.
Photos by Mila Milostivaya
