UrFU Will Increase Cooperation with Universities, Research Centers and Enterprises of Thailand

09:27, July 12, 2021

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Russian Federation Sasivat Wongsinsawat visited the University

The active development of cooperation between Thai universities and Ural Federal University will allow for breakthroughs in a variety of areas - economics, humanities, technological modernization and innovation in industry. Sasivat Wongsinsawat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Russian Federation, has stated this on July 9 in Ekaterinburg.

During the meeting with the Rector of Ural Federal University Victor Koksharov the Ambassador expressed interest in the comprehensive strengthening of cooperation between the two countries. According to him, the most important factor of success will be how effectively the interaction between universities, scientific organizations and enterprises of the two countries will be organized.

"I have come to open up opportunities for cooperation from the Thai side. We are interested in the possibility of sustainable connections in the social sciences, technology and innovation. Our country has a strategy for sustainable development. In particular, we are interested in the Eastern Economic Corridor project, an industrial and logistics hub. It has an innovation component, which is handled by a special institute. We would like to develop cooperation in this area with you. This project will bring together leading universities. The SVEL Group is ready to invest in this project. I hope you will have more students from Thailand in the future. You can count on my full support," said Sasiwat Wongsinsawat.

Victor Koksharov expressed interest in the development of the Eastern Economic Corridor. UrFU has the necessary competencies in this matter and prepares specialists in a very wide range of areas: from energy and mechanical engineering to economics and international relations.

"Our university has a century-long history and is among the top ten universities in Russia, and ranks 351st in the world in the QS ranking. At the same time, we are in the top 100 in several subject rankings. We are also actively developing infrastructure. In 2023 we will have a new campus, which will be very helpful in developing internationalization and attracting talented students and scientists from abroad. We also hope to send our researchers and students to Thailand. Our students and researchers in tourism and international relations are interested in learning the culture, politics and language of Thailand."

UrFU is currently working with four key partners in Thailand - Burapha University, Thammasat University, Khon Kaen University and the National Institute of Development Management.

"We are interested in strengthening international cooperation. Now Ural Federal University has 35,000 students, more than 4,400 of whom are foreign students. And I am sure that this number will only increase every year. In the next few years, we will have new dormitories which will be able to accommodate even more students from other countries, including Thailand. It is also important that we have the most budget-funded places among all Russian universities. By 2022, there will be about 9,300 of them. Moreover, we would like to invite our Thai friends to participate in short-term programs at Ural Federal University. This can be done also in the online format," stressed Victor Koksharov.

At the meeting with the Ambassador Victor Koksharov also noted that UrFU is very actively involved in the development of the industry. A striking example is the work of the world-class Ural Interregional Research and Education Center (UIREC) "Advanced Industrial Technologies and Materials. UrFU initiated the creation of the center and performs the functions of the project office. UIREC allows to develop and implement advanced scientific developments in the industry in the shortest possible time, thus increasing the efficiency of enterprises and the economy as a whole.