Category: English

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

At the end of last year, the international forum "Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values of the Union State" was held in Minsk. The event, which brought together 137 in-person participants and 67 online guests at a branch of the Russian State Social University, marked an important step in strengthening humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Belarus, particularly among young people. Ekaterina Glebova, Director of the Center for the Promotion of International Youth Relations at RUDN University, moderated the discussion panel "Dialogue of Cultures: Values Unite."

The forum reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to supporting public-societal projects based on shared spiritual values. Participants represented 130 organizations from 14 regions of Russia and all regions of Belarus.

Universal language of intercultural dialogue

Discussing traditional values at such a venue is a direct reflection of RUDN's mission. The university, which unites cultures, sees respect for history, family, work, and mutual assistance as unifying rather than divisive principles. As participants noted, these universal principles create a solid foundation for trusting dialogue, overcoming superficial differences. The discussions revealed both obvious and profound points of contact between the youth of the two countries. In addition to shared historical memories, participants discussed the value of creative work and professional integrity, as well as responsible patriotism, which manifests itself in personal involvement in solving social problems through volunteerism and local initiatives.

In her presentation, Ekaterina Glebova focused on the university's distinctive practices for working with international students.

"An effective mechanism for developing international youth cooperation is engaging young people in international cultural, economic, and scientific processes. This fosters sustainable contacts between young people from different countries, creates an international network of professional connections, and creates conditions for cultural exchange. Creating an active youth community will allow students to pool their efforts in addressing pressing social issues," says Ekaterina Glebova.

Colleagues were particularly interested in RUDN University's experience integrating international students into cultural, educational, and volunteer projects. Vepa Atakhanov, a fifth-year student from Turkmenistan, presented the activities of the Volunteer Center for International Medical Students, discussing their participation in Blood Donor Day events, events for cancer patients, and introductions to Russian classical music. Volunteering allows international students to gain a deeper understanding of the values and everyday life of Russians.

The Role of the University and the First Steps to Community

The forum clearly highlighted a trend toward the growth of public-society projects. RUDN University engages students, particularly international ones, in this work by integrating relevant tasks into curricula and extracurricular activities. The university provides platforms for dialogue with government agencies, supports students' social initiatives with grants, and develops a mentoring system. Through this system, senior students help new students become involved in significant projects, becoming facilitators of humanitarian cooperation.

What are the first steps RUDN students of different nationalities can take to develop youth cooperation? University experts recommend starting with a conscious dialogue—creating informal spaces for discussing not only cultural differences but also deep similarities in understanding values such as family, respect, and justice. Such sincere exchanges are the foundation for genuine joint projects.

According to the RUDN University delegation, the main outcome of the forum was the strengthening of the shared humanitarian agenda with Belarusian partners at the strategic level. The event clearly demonstrated the consolidation of positions: traditional spiritual and moral values are an unshakable foundation for both youth policy and international cooperation.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

RUDN University is home to projects capable of transforming entire sectors of the economy. One of them is AgronomiaRus, a highly efficient, automated multi-story farm. The project's motto is: "Using the latest technologies to grow more, faster, and cleaner."

Challenges of the modern agro-industrial complex

The project's leader is Vladislav Volin, a third-year student at the RUDN University Engineering Academy. His team set out to challenge the systemic problems of traditional agriculture: high water and fertilizer consumption, the use of chemicals, the scarcity of fertile soil, crop losses due to climate and disease, and long supply chains that lead to higher prices and spoilage.

The AgronomiaRus project offers an innovative solution: vertical multi-level farms with fully controlled microclimate and lighting. The technology is based on hydroponics (growing without soil), which allows for water savings of up to 95%. Each farm level is equipped with a monitoring system, and the planting and harvesting processes are highly automated. The entire ecosystem is managed by a centralized intelligent system with predefined algorithms.

The implementation of such farms is aimed at achieving strategic goals:

Improving the country's food security; reducing the cost of vegetables, especially in regions with low yields; producing fresh, safe, and delicious vegetables directly in the city, eliminating long transportation routes; and automating and modernizing the agricultural sector.

"Healthy eating has always been important to me, but in recent years I've noticed a disturbing trend—the steadily rising prices of fresh vegetables, especially in regions with challenging climates. Searching for a solution to this problem, I came up with the idea of rethinking the concept of vertical farms. The principle itself isn't new: there are already many vertical farming startups around the world, but almost all of them focus on growing microgreens, lettuce, strawberries, and other low-growing crops. We, however, are primarily focused on adapting this technology to larger vegetable crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants. Our goal is to reduce cultivation costs, automate crop production processes, and introduce innovations into the domestic agro-industrial complex," says Vladislav Volin.

From idea to implementation

Vladislav's team includes students from various universities across the country. He is responsible for the farm's engineering design and overall management. Dmitry Rudakov, a third-year student at Moscow State Law University (majoring in Jurisprudence), oversees legal matters. Vladislav is developing the plant cultivation and care technology in collaboration with Gleb Matsak, a third-year student at Kuban State University from Krasnodar (majoring in Biology). The project manager notes that the team is close-knit and motivated, open to collaboration, and welcomes anyone interested in joining the agricultural development effort.

The project has already received significant recognition. As part of the Student Startup program (an event of the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform within the federal project "Technologies"), the team won a grant of 1 million rubles from the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE). These funds were used to establish AGRONOMIYARUS LLC, and construction of the first industrial farm is planned to begin in February 2026. The team will submit a report on the use of the grant by September 2026.

The project also completed the RUDN.VC accelerator program, which, according to Vladislav Volin, was a key step in its development.

"The RUDN.VC accelerator was very helpful to me as a founder in defining my company's development strategy. I gained a lot of valuable information from the lectures, which will help me avoid mistakes when implementing the project in the future. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to work with the tracker, Yulia Vorokhob. Together, we conducted a detailed project analysis, created a financial model, carried out strategic planning, and optimized the business model. RUDN.VC is an excellent program that helps students implement their projects. It's great that students have this opportunity—to present their ideas, receive expert support, and even find investors. I'd especially like to note the large number of innovative startups among the participants. It's safe to say that the accelerator makes a real contribution to the development of technology and innovation in our country, which is critically important in today's rapidly changing world," says Vladislav Volin.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.