The Far Eastern Federal University is hosting a strategic session to set the stage for the launching of a new strategic academic leadership program “Priority 2030. The Russian Far East”. Delegates from 28 universities of the Far Eastern Federal District, representatives of Federal and Regional Authorities, development institutions are engaged in planning the program “Priority 2030. The Russian Far East” and singling out the points of sustainable scientific and regional educational development based on the needs of the district and resources available to the universities of the Far Eastern Federal District.

The new, Russia’s only regional track within the program “Priority 2030. The Russian Far East” has been developed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation exclusively for Far Eastern universities. Within this initiative, unique educational programs will open in universities that take into account special aspects and needs of the region, with scientific labs and new departments coming into being. Academic activities will become mobile and flexible, with module and network attendance modes to be introduced. These measures are meant to increase the quality of higher education, boost scientific progress and meet the labor market need in skilled professionals.

The goal of the program “Priority 2030. The Russian Far East” is to ensure the revamping of the Far Eastern Federal District universities, to enhance the availability of high-quality higher education, to pave the way for graduate employment and promote the socio-economic development of the Far Eastern Federal District. State-backed universities may push on to the next level thus evolving not only into prominent Far Eastern educational but also scientific and technology centers.

Boris Korobets, acting rector of the Far Eastern Federal University, believes that universities could play a crucial role in nurturing the human capital in the Russian Far East as they propose to applicants to partake in unique educational programs, embark on flexible learning paths and get a chance to pursue science in state-of-the-art laboratories with world-class scientists.

“As a leading Far Eastern university and participant in the “Priority 2030” program, the Far Eastern Federal University has a particular responsibility for molding the leaders of change ready to implement projects in innovative production field and fuse together fundamental and applied knowledge. To that end, we are creating a comprehensive environment on the Russky Island that would knit together education, science, technological entrepreneurship, work with talents, sports, leisure so that it would indeed become a hot spot for attracting youths from all over Russia”.

First Deputy General Director for Social Development of Russian Far East and Arctic Development Corporation Elvira Nurgalieva said that the high quality and availability of higher education could become an incentive for attracting young and active people to the Far Eastern regions.

“It is difficult to overstate the importance of high quality and availability of education for the Far Eastern residents. Indeed, it is higher education that has a multiplying effect on healthcare and demography, and, even more so, on the macroregion’s economy.

The program “Priority 2030. The Russian Far East” would enable universities to reach new heights in terms of scientific development, creation of technologies including those meant to solve import substitution tasks.

I’m sure that the program would significantly boost the quality of education which would have an impact on the attractiveness of life in the Far East including for foreign students and scientists, which would make university graduates highly employable in the modern labor market.

Within the strategic session, Far Eastern universities started to develop joint network programs with the nation’s leading universities as well as to implement R&D projects while launching new higher education and supplementary vocational training programs.

The emphasis within the program is put on consortia, the establishment of which would allow to enhance the expertise of each university through cooperation, to develop new cross-sectoral programs that are in high demand within the modern economy, as well as to develop creative economy”, said Nurgalieva.