The strategic goal of Ural Federal University's development is to create a center for education, research and innovation aligned with international standards in the Ural Federal District. Ural Federal University is intended to become the core of this center. The main mechanism for implementing the goal is the cooperation of the university with global research and educational centers and corporations, as well as with the institutes of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (UB RAS).

Employment of international experts plays a significant role in strengthening of human resources and achievement of strategic goals. That is why UrFU attracts teaching staff with experience in the world's leading universities, research centers and international corporations from priority areas. 

Key human resources management policy priorities for international employees:

1. Ensuring the principles of competitiveness and openness in the process of employment of highly qualified foreign researchers who have their own schools and a wide range of competencies, widely known in the international scientific community, able and eager to obtain high-level scientific results; 
2. Creating an academic environment that provides talented foreign youth with targeted support; selection of the most effective and efficient of them for contunuing their career at Ural Federal University or in Russian Federation in science, technology, innovation and education (these are young foreign post-docs, PhD and Master's students of Ural Federal University, as well as young foreign lecturers and scientists who are not classified as post-docs);
3. Strengthening and improving the efficiency of the management team by attracting highly qualified specialists with relevant experience in leading foreign and Russian universities and scientific organizations to managerial positions.

Recruitment activities are mainly focused on specialists who have strong academic ties with the university. The university employs first of all those with whom there are already stable contacts (joint publications, research projects). Thus, Ural Federal University expects to maintain personnel relations in part-time mode, when a specialist returning to his/her own university or transferring to another university maintains ties with Ural Federal University (as a researcher, lecturer or member of academic councils of laboratories and centers of excellence, expert and editorial boards).

At the same time the university does not set as a priority goal the long-term retention of foreign employees (the minimum period of work under an employment contract is from 1 semester; the maximum period is not limited and is determined in each case).

The key task of UrFU personnel policy for the period up to 2030 is to form around the foreign contingent a new generation of Russian scientific and pedagogical staff with skills and competencies necessary for the successful promotion of the university in the international scientific and educational space.

Practices of academic support for foreign specialists at Ural Federal University: 

1. opportunity to participate in the system of incentives for scientific and pedagogical staff of the university; 
2. opportunity to receive incentive payments for publishing articles in highly ranked scientific journals; 
3. opportunity to conclude an effective contract ensuring high motivation to fulfill KPIs; 
4. opportunity to participate in programs for recruitment of foreign employees on a competitive basis, such as "UrFU Leading Scientist", "UrFU Postdoc", "UrFU Prepostdoc", etc.

Additional support for young foreign scientific and pedagogical staff at Ural Federal University: 

1. Funding for participation in scientific conferences;
2. Funding for internships both in Russia and outside of Russia.

Foreign specialists are also provided with comprehensive information and administrative support at all stages of their work at the university: from issuing invitation letters to get to Russia for employment to the end of their employment period.

There is a specially created structural unit assisted by an institution of supervisors, who assist foreign specialists in all matters related to work at the university, as well as personal inquiries and possible critical situations.

Currently, the top priority countries for Ural Federal University in hiring of foreign specialists are China, India, Egypt, and the countries of Central Asia.