French-Russian University

On July 20, 2021 a meeting of the Russian-French University was held. The Russian side was represented by RANEPA Rector Vladimir Mau, Rector of the Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development (FRTA) Sergey Sinelnikov-Murylev, First Vice Rector of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI) Oleg Nagornov, First Vice Rector of ITMO University Daria Kozlova, and Advisor on Scientific Activities to the Rector of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) Nur Kirabayev. On the French side, the participants included Emmanuel Tric, 1st Vice President of the Université Côte d'Azur (UCA); Karine Samuel, Vice President of International Relations of the Grenoble Alpes University; Patrice Houdayer, Deputy Director-General of SKEMA Business School; Sarah Cooper, Director of International Relations at NEOMA Business School; and Giovanna Chimini, Vice President of the International Relations at Aix-Marseille University.

The Council meeting was held via online conference. One of the main items on the agenda was a discussion of the virtual mobility project for the FRU students. The pilot project is already being implemented by RANEPA, FRTA and UCA: it has been highly rated by Russian and French students who participated in the pilot testing in spring 2021. The Council unanimously decided to develop and expand the project by engaging all consortium partners. The participants were presented with a report on the FRU activities in the first half of 2021: the consortium held regular online meetings, lectures and round tables, which brought together more than 250 Russian and French professors and students. The Council participants have noted that despite the harsh conditions of the pandemic the French-Russian University has not only been continuing its work, but is also developing steadily.

The main student event of the FRU in the academic year 2021-2022 should be the First Youth Forum of the FRU “Environment, Climate, and Global Change”, scheduled to take place in Moscow next spring. The aim of the Forum will be to promote French-Russian youth intercultural, academic and scientific cooperation. The Forum participants will meet online in November 2021, prior to the event, to get acquainted and start working on project tasks in international teams.

The nature and direction of the discussions indicate a new level of vision of problems and challenges the FRU is facing: these concern both educational issues and the development of student mobility. In the coming academic year, the main activities of the consortium will be further developing academic mobility, setting up new joint educational programs and virtual campus of the FRU.