First Eranet Mundus stays create bonds among European and Russian universities

Olga Kirillova, PhD student at the Yaroslavl Demidov State University, chose the University of Glasgow for her stay.
Olga Kirillova, PhD student at the Yaroslavl Demidov State University, chose the University of Glasgow for her stay.
(27/03/2013)

During 2012-2013 academic year, students and researchers from several European universities are making stays in Russian universities, and Russian students and researchers are staying in European ones, within the programme Eranet Mundus. The objective is to construct a stable and ongoing mobility scheme between Europe and Russia and to establish a solid framework for future collaborations, as well as giving an answer to training needs of participating countries. “This period of study in Russia will mean a considerable advance in my academic career, improving my skills in a dynamic environment of research”, explains the postdoctoral researcher Dunja Dogo who is staying at the Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU) and comes from the University of Siena. Dogo, who is carrying out a research on the history of soviet cinema, affirms that one of her aims is “to facilitate the cooperation between the two universities involved in the exchange and promote, for example, scientist publications made by researchers who work at both universities, starting from a dialogue on research methodologies”.

Olga Kirillova, PhD student at the Yaroslavl Demidov State University, chose the University of Glasgow for her stay.
Olga Kirillova, PhD student at the Yaroslavl Demidov State University, chose the University of Glasgow for her stay.
27/03/2013

During 2012-2013 academic year, students and researchers from several European universities are making stays in Russian universities, and Russian students and researchers are staying in European ones, within the programme Eranet Mundus. The objective is to construct a stable and ongoing mobility scheme between Europe and Russia and to establish a solid framework for future collaborations, as well as giving an answer to training needs of participating countries. “This period of study in Russia will mean a considerable advance in my academic career, improving my skills in a dynamic environment of research”, explains the postdoctoral researcher Dunja Dogo who is staying at the Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU) and comes from the University of Siena. Dogo, who is carrying out a research on the history of soviet cinema, affirms that one of her aims is “to facilitate the cooperation between the two universities involved in the exchange and promote, for example, scientist publications made by researchers who work at both universities, starting from a dialogue on research methodologies”.

 

Pieter Barendregt, who studies a masterʼs degree in Finance at the Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) and makes a stay at the Lobachevsky State University, explains that, besides its academic value, participating in Eranet Mundus programme is a really valuable experience in all senses: “The first month in Russia has been a sequence of discoveries and new experiences: speaking Russian in daily life, get to know the Russian culture, visit a typical Russian banya (sauna), taste Russian food, meet a lot of new people and immerse myself in the city”. In fact, Barendregt chose the Lobachevsky State University because he wanted to grasp “real Russian life”, in contrast to more European-like cities such as Moscow or Saint Petersburg. Obviously, “reading about its good reputation was another reason for selecting it”, he adds.

 
Olga Kirillova, PhD student at the Yaroslavl Demidov State University, chose the University of Glasgow for her stay. Kirillova studies current Russian economic situation, especially capital flight; she tries to know the origins and causes of this phenomenon, in order to find new ways to fight it. “I thought that the University of Glasgow was a good place to enhance my studies and a source of inspiration for my research. The Department of Central and East European Studies is composed by prestigious scientists. Besides, they have great connections with other major Centres for Russian, Central and East European Studies (CRCEES) in the UK and excellent researchers in this field of study”.
 
About her daily life in Glasgow, Kirillova highlights the participation in a great number of activities related to her research field organised by the University, such as lectures given by visiting researchers. She remarks also the support she receives from her supervisor who gives her advice on academic tasks. Dunja Dogo also emphasizes the contributions that the Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU) offers to her, such as academic counselling or the possibility to attend conferences and seminars. Dogo explains that: “in the last two decades, an easier access to re-emerged source materials and an increasing contact between Soviet and Western scholars enabled researchers to face the enormous task of research that is pending. During her stay, Dogo will conduct a seminar to present his research at the Faculty of History of the SPbSU.
 
Eranet Mundus experience constitutes a really important contribution to participantsʼ career and offers them several future possibilities. “After my stay in Russia, I would like to work in an international environment because only after one month in Russia I knew that I like to meet people from all over the world, exchange ideas and cultures, and learn from others”, affirms Pieter Barendregt. “Within my financial study —he details—, I am interested in the oil and gas industry; so probably I will end up working in a multinational company and being in touch with Russian companies”.
 
Next academic year, the programme Eranet Plus will be set up. Besides the universities which take part in Eranet Mundus, the University of Granada and the Moscow State Linguistic University also participate in this new project. The main difference between Eranet Mundus and Eranet Plus is that, in the second one, students and researchers at any university of the EU can participate, even if they come from institutions which are not part of the consortium. Both projects include some places reserved for students or graduates from any Russian university. The following organizations also participate in both programmes as associates: the Higher Institute of Environmental (Spain), the Committee for Nature Preservation of the Russian Geographical Society, the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency and the Russian National Accreditation Agency.
 
The coordinator of Eranet Mundus and Eranet Plus, the UB professor Marc Ruiz-Zorrilla, explains that both projects emerged when “Russia is in a transition process from its traditional university system to a modern one in line with Bolognaʼs model”. “For the last years —he adds—, relationships among a great number of European universities and Russia have been developed, and that made necessary to create a framework which enables study, teaching and research stays”.
  
Universities which compose the Eranet-Mundus consortium: University of Barcelona, projectʼs coordinator; Technical University of Catalonia; Radboud University Nijmegen, University of Poitiers; University of Duisburg-Essen, University of Glasgow; University of Siena¸ Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra¸ Friedrich Schiller University of Jena¸ Jagiellonian University in Krakow¸ Russian State Hydrometeorological University; Siberian Federal University¸ South Ural State University; Lomonosov Moscow State University¸ Demidov Yaroslavl State University¸ Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod; Saint Petersburg University, and Pskov State Pedagogical University.