The First Forum of the BRICS Network University started at Ural Federal University

17:37, April 7, 2016

Tomorrow the representatives of participating universities will sign the protocol of assignment to the BRICS Network University

Today the First Forum of the BRICS Network University started at UrFU. About 150 representatives of universities and Ministries of Education of Russia, India, China, Brazil and South Africa are taking part in the event.

Tomorrow the participants of the universities selected to represent each country will sign the protocol of assignment to the BRICS NU.

During the opening plenary UrFU Rector Victor Koksharov underlined that modern universities should keep pace with the trends of political and economic collaboration of BRICS countries.

“Higher education and research are very important for BRICS economies. Today we find new development concepts which are impossible to implement without university collaboration. We make the first big step towards this process today at Ural Federal University”.

UrFU representatives took active part in the establishment of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC); the university was selected to be the project coordinator on the part of Russia. Maxim Khomyakov, UrFU Vice-rector for International Relations, is the Chairman of the NCC.

“During this Forum we’ll start the real collaboration between the universities”, commented the Deputy Minister for Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Alexander Klimov. “Establishment of the Network University is an important step in the intensification of mutually beneficial relations. The main idea of the project is to launch a large-scale collaboration in the field of Master and PhD programs and to establish a consortium that will agree on the content of these programs and ensure the quality of education”.

The thematic priorities of the BRICS network university include Energy, Computer science and information security, BRICS studies, Ecology and climate change, Water resources and pollution treatment and Economics.

“The priorities were determined by the BRICS countries and they reflect the strengths of each country”, said Vinay Sheel Oberoi, Secretary (Higher Education) of the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India. “These are directions in which we’d like to develop.  Today is the start, and of course in the future it will change and develop”.

After the official opening plenary the participants continued their work in the frames of the International Governing Board and International Thematic Groups.

Reference

BRICS Network University is a joint research and educational project aimed at creation of a unified educational environment, development of academic mobility and training highly qualified professionals in the areas of activity that are of high priority to the member states.

The Memorandum of Understanding for Establishment of the BRICS Network University was signed on November 18, 2015 in Moscow by the Ministers of Education of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.