Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The All-Russian scientific and practical conference "Formation and Development of Endowment Funds in Educational and Scientific Organizations: Theory and Practice" was held at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It brought together over 200 participants from across Russia.
The conference was organized by the Polytechnic University with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the National Association of Endowments.
On the first day of the conference, leading experts and representatives from academia and business met to discuss current trends in endowment development. Elena Vinogradova, Chair of the Board of the SPbPU Endowment Fund and Director of the Department of Economics and Finance, moderated the plenary session.
Aslan Kanukoev, Director of the Department of Economic Policy and overseeing the development of this area, addressed the conference participants with a welcoming address on behalf of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Kanukoev emphasized the importance of establishing endowment funds as a long-term strategic tool for the sustainable development of educational and scientific organizations, as well as the relevance of a comprehensive approach to studying, developing, and improving management methods for such funds.
Maxim Pasholikov, Vice Rector for Information, Youth Policy, and Security, delivered welcoming remarks on behalf of the Polytechnic University: "It's gratifying that the Polytechnic University is hosting a scientific and practical conference dedicated to endowment funds. This is an important step—the university is not only participating in the development of a culture of philanthropy but also engaging in research into this phenomenon from a scientific perspective. I'm pleased to see young researchers in the audience who are choosing the topic of endowment funds for their term papers, theses, and dissertations. I am confident that this initiative will not only contribute to the development of a culture of philanthropy but also strengthen the connection between education, science, and society. The relevance of these issues today is difficult to overestimate.
The keynote presentations at the plenary session focused on the past, present, and future of endowments. Svetlana Lavrova, Advisor to the Rector of the European University on Financial and Economic Issues, Executive Director of the European University Foundation, and Chair of the Board of the National Institute of Economics (NAE), a leading expert on endowment funds not only in Russia but also internationally, delivered a report titled "Endowments in Russia and Globally: Status, Trends, and Development Prospects."
Svetlana Golovkina, Head of the Department of Economic Theory at the Institute of Mechanics, Economics, and Technology, introduced conference participants to the development of endowments in pre-revolutionary Russia. Many learned for the first time that the tradition of creating "perpetual deposits" originated in Tsarist Russia and served as an important tool for helping those in need. Beginning in 1902, the Polytechnic Institute (as the Polytechnic University was then known) paid stipends based on the interest earned on "perpetual deposits" established by the Ministry of Finance, the St. Petersburg Exchange Society, and the First Russian Insurance Company.
A report by Marina Borovskaya, President of Southern Federal University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, and Chair of the Council of Rectors of Southern Russia, emphasized the challenges of developing endowments: the need to expand mechanisms for forming endowments, including the use of intellectual property and proceeds from the commercialization of scientific research.
Following the plenary session, the conference continued in four sections. In the section "Endowment Funds: From Origins to Current Trends—History, Development, and Promotion Strategies" (moderated by Svetlana Golovkina, Head of the Department of Economic Theory at the Institute of Economics, Methodology, and Technology, and Artem Klinitsky, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Law and Forensic Expertise at the State University of Economics), participants were able to explore the evolution of endowment funds in Russian education from their origins to the present day.
The moderators of the "Legal Aspects of the Creation and Development of Endowments" session—Olga Novikova, Executive Director of the SPbPU Endowment Development Fund, and Irina Tolmacheva, Deputy Director of the Endowment Formation Fund "Foundation for the Development of Social and Economic Sciences and Education" and Director of Legal Affairs at the All-Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation—noted the participants' strong interest in issues related to legislation and its application to endowment funds. Real estate as a potential endowment asset became a hotly debated topic.
The section "Financial Strategies and Instruments for Forming Endowment Funds in Educational and Scientific Organizations in a Changing Macroeconomic and Regulatory Environment" (moderated by Yuri Kuporov, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Engineering and Economics at IPMEIT, and Anna Chizhova, Deputy General Director and Head of Corporate Clients at VIM Investments Management Company) examined passive and active strategies for managing university endowments, taking into account international experience and the possibility of contributing large equity stakes to university endowments. Financial models for their formation, along with economic and statistical verification of strategic decisions, were also presented.
Participants in the "Modern Fundraising Tools" section (moderated by Olga Kalinina, Director of the Higher School of Industrial Management at the Institute of Mechanics and Technology, and Elena Osipchukova, Deputy Director of the Center for Developing Partnerships with Alumni at the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin) discussed modern tools for replenishing endowments and current fundraising development trajectories. Elena Osipchukova also shared her experience engaging international UrFU graduates in endowment programs, while Marina Stupnikova, Director of the Endowment Fund at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, shared her experience developing the fundraising system at MEPhI.
At the end of the first day, a tour of the SPbPU History Museum was organized for external conference participants, led by the museum's director, Valery Klimov.
On the second day, the IPMET conference hosted a project session titled "Young People's Views on Endowments: Ideas That Work."
The event was organized by Olga Novikova, Executive Director of the SPbPU Endowment Fund, Maxim Ivanov, Deputy Director for Promising Projects and Youth Policy at the Institute of Economics, Management and Telecommunications, and Tamerlan Tuganov, Responsible for Work with Youth and Alumni at the Institute of Economics, Management and Telecommunications.
The session was attended by 15 student teams representing various SPbPU institutes: IPMEiT, IE, IKNK, IMMiT and IFKST, as well as student associations "SPbPU Case Club" and "SPbPU Business Club".
The students developed projects aimed at developing the university's endowment fund. The work focused on three key areas: the role of the endowment fund in student life, new approaches to communications and promotion, and the development of an active student and alumni community.
The students received expert advice. The best projects were distinguished by their originality and practical applicability. Following the session, the youth teams "IKNK Rabochiy" and "Kogda IMMiT?" received support from the SPbPU Endowment Fund to implement their projects. Three other teams—SPbPU Business Club, "Natalie" (IPMET), and "Sportiki" (IFKST)—were awarded diplomas and commemorative prizes for their creativity and high level of preparation.
The project session demonstrated that students have fresh ideas and a strong desire to participate in the university's development. The endowment fund is becoming an important unifying point for students, alumni, and all Polytechnic staff, opening up new opportunities for joint initiatives.
A new experience in holding conferences on endowments brought together the academic community, student bodies, and expert community. A dynamic two-day discussion among all participants identified key issues in this area and proposed ways to develop endowments in educational and scientific organizations, with the necessary involvement of young people.
Since 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science's "Priority 2030" program monitoring system has included an indicator for the effectiveness of endowment fundraising. This has given participating universities an additional incentive to develop alumni communities, partnerships, and other mechanisms for increasing endowment capital.
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