Andrey Khohryakov

Perm State University (PSU, Perm, Russia) and Woxsen University (Hyderabad, India) are launching a new Centre of Excellence in Digital Economy and Blockchain Technologies.

The agreement, signed in February 2022, stands for at least a two-year period of close research cooperation, within the Centre’s activity. The Faculty of Economics at PSU will be actively involved in growing the Centre.

The research within Digital Economy and Blockchain Technologies, intensified by inter-university cooperation, meets the development of PSU strategy and its vectors of international activity.

“The newly built Centre is really important for us, since international cooperation in up-to-date research has always been a significant element of PSU strategy. So does it acquire to our Faculty’s progress. The activities of the Centre will include both joint research activities of Russian and Indian colleagues, as well as educational events, lectures, workshops, methodology seminars and much more,”

shares Ekaterina Chuchulina, Head of the Project Office for International Cooperation, Faculty of Economics, PSU, officer in charge of the Centre of Excellence in Digital Economy and Blockchain Technologies, PSU.

Based in the city of Hyderabad, state of Telangana, India, Woxsen University is amongst the leading educational institutes in India. The University’s divisions include School of Business, School of Technology, School of Art & Design, School of Liberal Arts and Humanities & School of Architecture and Planning.

“As the educational market is growing rapidly in India, Russian universities step in to respond those queries by Indian applicants and students with quality offers. For Perm State University, cooperation with Indian partners is a new promising space for the implementation of international academic mobility programs, summer school programs, joint English-language educational programs and research projects. The creation of a joint research center with Woxsen University is a step further in this direction,”

states Mikhail V. Grabevnik, Head of Academic Mobility Office, Department of International Relations, PSU.

Woxsen University’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) acts as a one-stop resource centre for research and development in specialized areas and emerging technology. Besides PSU, Woxsen University had established a CoE in Entrepreneurship & Business Development with HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management (Germany),  as well as a CoE in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics with Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (Croatia).

Besides conducting Research and Development in related fields, both Woxsen and its global partner universities will leverage Woxsen’s CoE to foster relations across countries, between governments, workers, chambers of commerce, academia and the industry, establishing collaborations on various projects in the focused areas. The initiatives will also provide a strong platform for meritorious students and scholars of both the institutions to ideate and facilitate innovative output in the respective fields.

Cooperation of Perm State University with India has been growing due to PSU Faculty of Chemistry, known for its extensive research and teaching activity in Pharmacy. Since 2017 and 2019, the first Indian partners have been Banasthali University and Parul University, correspondingly. Since the second half of 2021, and till today PSU enjoys partnership with Bennett University and Chandigarh University, and now Woxsen University. The international cooperation covers a variety of activities, including academic mobility of students, graduate students, young researchers and teachers.

On 11-12 March, Perm Winter School, a long waited season event will take place offline!

The main topics and event sections will cover:

• Climate agenda and climate risks;
• Decarbonization and carbon neutrality;
• Voluntary carbon markets, standards and ESG;
• Climate projects and technologies.

Registration to be open soon.

Perm Winter School is a community of bright students, forward-looking academicians, and innovative industry practitioners in the area of financial markets and latest financial technologies. Every winter the school’s comprehensive program covers the latest empirical researches, theoretical models, and industry best world practices.

The Faculty of Economics, PSU traditionally co-runs the event. The Crypto-Economics and Blockchain Systems Lab was founded at PSU in April 2016. The Lab’s research is aimed at creating math models and apps for blockchain systems and smart, financial calculations in international business, e-voting and election, copyright on digital content, etc.

Find more information and register at Perm Winter School website.

Still choosing among Russian universities? Interested in academic collaboration? Looking for applicable ideas for your future profession? Be inspired: learn more about the Holiday we’ve been celebrating today, and Top 10 PSU Research Activities in 2021!

On 8 February, all Russian universities, higher educational institutions and research schools celebrate the Russian Science Day. Today, Perm State University (PSU) has been paying respect to its bright young students, teaching professors, faculty staff, international fellow scholars and partners from Russia and abroad – with wishes of sound health, creativity, fruitful research and recognition! Here are Top-10 news involving our scholars in 2021 we are proud about:

1. Bio-Control: PSU biologists and geologists in cooperation with scientists from the Far East of Russia have conducted a micro-chemical analysis of the Oncorhynchus keta auditory bones, both of natural and artificial origin. The results will allow to estimate the fish stock in the Amur river, depending on season.

2. Building Software: The Difra Lab software created by PSU physicists and the Photonics NTI Competence Center (Центр компетенций НТИ «Фотоника») has been announced a hi-tech breakthrough of 2021. Incorporating virtual models, the software will reduce the time spent on developing photonic integrated circuits.

3. Understanding Memory: As part of an international research team, Professor Eduard Korkotyan and his assistant Lilia Kushnireva, Faculty of Chemistry, PSU, have been exploring a nano-level structure of memory. This helped to reveal the character of brain dysfunctions, including the Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Overcoming Oil Pollution: PSU researchers have tested a low-cost way to clean up groundwater and soil from oil pollution. Based on industrial test, the new method will allow to perform 80% better cleaning – using the biomass generated by PSU Institute of Natural Sciences.

5. Testing Car Tires: the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, PSU have developed a new way to test materials for car tires – collecting and interpreting data on softening and non-linear behavior of the material, including its principal and residual change – and thus, reducing costs for its testing.

6. Estimating Property Value: A group of PSU scientists led by Professor Leonid Yasnitsky have trained a neural network to predict changes in the market value of city apartments – based on interpretation of currency exchange rates, oil prices, housing construction and mortgage lending.

7. Improving Gas and Oil Equipment: the Organic Synthesis Laboratory along with the Department of Physical Chemistry, PSU united efforts to improve the protective compounds in gas and oil industry equipment, reducing the metal corrosion rate by more than 90%.

8. Drawing ‘Naïve’ Maps: Following the popular vision of Russia beyond Moscow city range, PSU scholars have created ‘naïve’ maps – reflecting the overall understanding of the country by Russians themselves, based on citizens’ intuitive approach rather than official facts or figures.

9. Studying Immune Reaction: Mikhail Chirkov from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, PSU, has developed a math model describing the impact of immunotherapy on the dynamics of immune response – allowing to predict the progress of disease, and choose most appropriate treatment.

10. Creating Kids Health App: Anastasia Gornova, a student in Economics, PSU, has received a grant to create the Kids Health app, which interprets one’s child uploaded data, and generates individual health recommendations – tracing its progress and medical aid needed.

PSU in World Rankings

Followed by many more steps in scientific, research and teaching activities, in 2021, PSU has re-established its competitive status in the Round University Ranking (RUR), Times Higher Education (THE) Ranking and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Ranking.  

According to RUR, Perm State University (PSU) has raised up from 481 to 380 place in Humanities. PSU shows most significant progress in “Educational Activity” (248 to 128 place) and “Scientific Activity” (549 to 494 place). On a national level, PSU takes 13th place in Humanities, incl. 9th place in “Education”, and 12th place in “Scientific Activity”.

In Social Sciences, PSU has moved up internationally from 658 to 632 place, demonstrating the growth in “Scientific Activity” (706 to 668 place) and “Financial stability” (363 to 314 place). Staying 35th  nationally, PSU has made a few steps up in “Scientific Activity” (44 to 32 place), and a couple steps down in “Educational Activity” (38 to 42). 

In 2021, PSU has also been ranked 501+ in the 2022 Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings. According to the world famous Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), PSU is ranked as 32^nd in a pull of best Russian universities, and is being included into the list of 1000 best universities, worldwide.

Eager to upgrade yourself? Looking for new knowledge? Want access to resources for your academic career?

The EBSCO in Russia team invites PSU students and university staff to the webinar on access and use of the full-text MLA resource for studying and teaching languages, literature, linguistics, poetry in the scientific, practical and educational activities of the university.

The webinar will take place on 8 February, 2022 at 1pm, local Perm time (8am UTC).

The webinar will allow to learn:
• the tools of basic and advanced search;
• the limits and extra features of e-resources;
• ways to upload, send, quote and export information found;
• the search engine, using specific fields;
• steps to create a personal account on the platform.

After registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about entering the webinar.

Please, register for the seminar in advance here.

Please, note that PSU has been given test access to the MLA (Modern Language Association) database from EBSCO until 24 March, 2022. Read more about the resource, terms and conditions of access here.

Three students from the Department of Linguistics and Translation, Faculty of Modern Languages and Literature, PSU, have completed a semester at the Université Grenoble Alpes (France). There, Maria Erypalova, Asey Sepahi and Anastasia Vysochanskaya have been taking French- and English language courses in translation; history of Russian literature and culture; linguistics and extra language modules.

Despite the difficult epidemiological situation, the training was organized in a full-time format. The students were able to personally communicate with teachers and get to know students from around the world. In their free time, PSU students had the opportunity to learn new sports, visit nearby cities and try various types of French cuisine.

“Grenoble made the most pleasant impression on me: the narrow clean streets, old buildings, a modern funicular across the river and, of course, the mountains. The city is famous for its great location, as you can reach Switzerland or Italy by bus in a few hours. We had been enjoying this opportunity and traveled a lot,”

says Anastasia Vysochanskaya, a 4th year student in Translation and Related Disciplines.

“Should I confess that studying at the Université Grenoble Alpes has been a tremendous experience? The intercultural communication – meeting students from all over the world, studying interesting disciplines to improve my translation skills – all this and more is what the student mobility is about!”

shares her impressions Asya Sepahi, 2nd year graduate student.

The training of PSU students at the Université Grenoble Alpes has taken place as part of the international academic mobility program. In 2022, the Department of Linguistics and Translation is planning to send more students to France to gain new experiences and perspectives on the world and the profession. In turn, the University of Grenoble-Alpes also plans a mutual exchange with PSU.