INRTU participated in the forum of rectors of the Far East and Siberia of Russia and North-Eastern provinces of China
The delegation of Irkutsk National Research Technical University headed by Rector Mikhail Korniakov took part in the XIII Forum of Rectors of the Far East and Siberia of Russia and North-Eastern provinces of China. Representatives of 26 leading universities of Siberia and the Far East and 56 universities of the North-Eastern provinces of China attended the event in Harbin on September 26-27.
The forum was organized by the Association of Higher Education Institutions of the Far East and Siberia and North-Eastern provinces of China. The main goal of the event is to expand the strategic partnership between universities of Russia and China in the interests of sustainable development of the two countries.
The forum participants were welcomed by Sergey Linnik, Consul General of Russia in Harbin, Liu Yan, Deputy Head of the Foreign Affairs Department in Heilongjiang, and Cheng Shuang, Deputy Head of the Department of Education in Heilongjiang province.
The speakers noted that the previous forum was held in 2017. Since then, the geopolitical situation in the world has changed significantly; the pandemic has had a great impact on international relations, which affected the higher education as well. The main task of the forum was to build communication between universities of the two countries, discuss new research projects and educational programs, and develop academic exchanges of students and teachers.
More than 30 agreements on cooperation between Russian and Chinese universities were signed during the forum.
Irkutsk National Research Technical University signed agreements with Hebei North University and Heilongjiang University.
According to Stepan Bykov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, INRTU has been cooperating with Hebei North University for three years on academic exchange programs. More than 20 students have visited this Chinese university on short-term study programs during this time.
Stepan Bykov noted:
"Since our relations are intensively developing and have reached a high level of cooperation, we decided to sign an agreement on the establishment of a joint Sino-Russian institute of sustainable development.
Now we are preparing a joint application to the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. If the project is approved and financed, Hebei North University and INRTU will launch three joint bachelor's degree programs on sustainable development. The plan is to train competent specialists with practical skills in power engineering, artificial intelligence, sustainable innovative economics and engineering. Graduates will receive diplomas of Chinese and Russian universities.
The document signed with Heilongjiang University is intended to develop academic mobility programs for Chinese students studying Russian and Russian students studying Chinese. Heilongjiang University is the oldest and strongest Russian language school in China. We would like to see more Chinese students at our university, so they can immerse themselves in Russian culture, traditions and return to China and teach Russian at schools and universities. We want to create similar exchange programs for INRTU students"
INRTU Rector Mikhail Korniakov presented the experience in cross-border interaction with Chinese universities at the International Forum.
In particular, he noted that the number of students from China has increased 4.5 times over the last ten years. Currently, 382 Chinese citizens are enrolled in INRTU; most of them are studying at Baikal School of BRICS. Rector Mikhail Kornyikov emphasized the new approaches to the training and support of Chinese students. A special tutor service has been created to assist Chinese students in their studies.
Mikhail Korniakov talked in details about joint projects of INRTU and universities of the North-Eastern provinces of China.
INRTU became a member of Accociation of Sino-Russian Technical Universities at the invitation of Harbin Institute of Technology in 2018. The first ASRTU forum on green engineering was held in Irkutsk in September 2019. In the same year, "Days of INRTU" were held in Harbin Institute of Technology. INRTU cooperates with the leading Chinese university both in the fields of education and research.
Another successful example is the cooperation with Shenyang University of Chemical Technology. A joint English-language educational program in the field of power engineering was launched in 2018. Currently, 230 Chinese students are enrolled in this program. Two graduates of this program continued their studies in the master's degree program in BS BRICS.
The forum ended with a Russian-Chinese student concert. Students sang songs in Russian and Chinese languages, performed national dances and played musical instruments.
INRTU delegation visited Harbin Sport University, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, North-East Normal University.
