Higher School of Economics Expands Cooperation with University of Turin

On December 3, 2014 an Italian delegation led by the Rector of the University of Turin, Gianmaria Ajani, visited HSE. First Counsellor of the Embassy of Italy in the Russian Federation, Agostino Pinna and Pietro Fre, Deputy Head of Theoretical Physics Department at the University of Turin and Attaché for Science of the Embassy of Italy in the Russian Federation were also present. The heads of the two universities signed two new cooperation agreements to extend the already existing links between them.

HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov opened the meeting with remarks that relations between HSE and the University of Turin are coming along nicely, ‘Especially in terms of faculty and student contacts’. (A student exchange agreement has been operating since 2012). ‘These ties are a brilliant example of how cooperation between universities and academics produces the most stable relationships between countries’.

Law Professor at the University of Turin, Rector Gianmaria Ajani  and Yaroslav Kuzminov signed two agreements:a general university agreement on academic cooperation and student exchanges;

• an agreement in the area of ‘Decision making models in economics, business and finance’;

The latest agreement was between the HSE and the departments of economics, social research and applied mathematics and statistics at Turin University and envisages exchanges of teachers and specialists to give lectures and take part in conferences etc, organising study abroad and student exchange programmes, joint research programmes and devising joint teaching programmes and joint academic and cultural events (conferences, seminars, etc).

The International Laboratory of Decision Choice and Analysis, headed by Fuad Aleskerov will be responsible for coordinating the HSE’s side in the agreement.

Professor Ajani believes signing the agreement is an important step towards continuing a long-term cooperation. ‘Strengthening international ties, especially with Russia and China is part of the University of Turin’s strategy for the future’ he said. ‘We began with just a few contacts and now we are seeing our cooperation expand into economics and law. We had a productive discussion with the Dean of the History Faculty, Professor Kamensky and found we had many common interests as Turin University has a particular interest in Russian history’.

At the meeting, they discussed enlarging the student and teaching exchange programmes, making more efforts to attract Italian specialists to the work of editorial boards of HSE journals and to conduct joint research in various fields. 

The HSE Skolkovo Laboratory for Law and Development will conduct joint seminars in 2015 on models for specific legal frameworks and bring in Italian colleagues to devise a development plan for Russian Island because Turin University has a lot of experience in planning free economic zones, in China for example.

The First Counsellor of the Italian Embassy, Agostino Pinna was keen to emphasize that although the geopolitical situation is not so favourable, ‘It is essential to strengthen and develop cultural and academic ties between our countries’. And, he added, ‘We don’t believe that we should reduce our activity, our policy is to widen contacts’.

Photo by Mikhail Dmitiriev