Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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On September 1, the White Hall hosted a traditional meeting between SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy and the staff, dedicated to the beginning of the new academic year.
The ceremony was also attended by distinguished guests: Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Nikolay Linchenko, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Mikhail Amosov, Head of the Administration of the Kalininsky District Mikhail Astashkevich, Director and Chief Designer of the Central Research and Experimental Design Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics Alexander Lopota, Senior Vice President of VTB Bank Yuri Levchenko, Head of the Development Department of VTB Bank Sergey Zhdanov.
“I am glad to welcome you today, to congratulate you on the beginning of the school year, on the first of September on behalf of the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Dmitrievich Beglov and on my own behalf. Happy holiday, dear friends!” Vice-Governor Nikolai Linchenko addressed the Polytechnic students. “We are trying to develop, including pre-university education, and to fill our schools with specialized classes that will allow children to decide on their future specialty while still in school. By entering the renowned Polytechnic Institute, students receive a high-level education, including applied education. Today, you have orders for trial batches for production in almost all areas. I would like to express special gratitude to the faculty for your professionalism, your skills, and most importantly, your patience. I bow deeply to you. With all my heart, I wish you good health, new discoveries, new events, grateful pupils and students. Good luck. Happy Knowledge Day!”
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Mikhail Amosov read out a welcoming address from the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Alexander Belsky and said a few words on his own behalf: As a deputy elected from the territory where, among other things, the Polytechnic University is located, I consider it necessary to support it in every possible way. Moreover, several generations of my family and I myself had the honor of teaching here. Together with the city government, we will try to do everything to ensure that the Polytechnic University can develop comfortably. I understand perfectly well what an important day this is for you. It is a great pleasure to teach, to watch our students grow, to help them in this. Happy holiday, dear friends!
After that, the audience saw a film about the most important and interesting events of the 2024/2025 academic year at the Polytechnic, which remained a bright page in its history. Unfortunately, every year someone passes away. The Polytechnicians honored the memory of their departed colleagues with a minute of silence.
Then the rector of the Polytechnic University, Andrey Rudskoy, gave his annual inaugural report on the results of the past academic year and plans for the coming one.
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is a leading university in spirit. Today, it is especially important to clearly understand what this means. Ratings, popularity, media presence — all of these are important, but only indirect signs. We are POLYTECHNICIANS. This means that our work should be reflected in literally every aspect of people's lives, in almost any area of their activity, in every industry: in industry, construction, agriculture, healthcare… That is, the measure of our work is efficient high-tech machines, comfortable and safe homes, productive varieties of grain, cured diseases and saved lives. And the greater our contribution to each of these results, the more right we have to be called leaders, — noted Andrey Rudskoy.
The head of the university also emphasized that the Polytechnic is a state university, and this means, first of all, that its staff is called upon to make maximum efforts to implement the state strategy for the development of the country.
Our duty is to live up to the high status of the National Research University, a leading engineering university, and a qualified executor of key state programs. That is, this is not a special merit, but our direct responsibility — to conduct breakthrough research, develop advanced technologies, train highly qualified specialists capable of applying them, replicate the best practices of implementing these technologies in the production processes of Russian enterprises, and ultimately — create not just competitive, but best-in-class products: items, systems, and related services. The integration of science, education, and technology for industry as a concept for the development of the university, which we have been actively promoting for the last decade, is no longer an advantage in itself: for us, these are now “mandatory inputs,” and our task is to find tools to increase the effectiveness of this synergy, Andrey Rudskoy is convinced.
Developing this idea in his speech, Andrei Ivanovich analyzed how the university performs these functions, how it develops, what it has achieved and what it plans in its activities.
Polytechnic University is included in the list of universities that provide training for engineering personnel and scientific developments for technological leadership, and by March of this year, universities were instructed to develop strategies for their development. The Polytechnic University Development Strategy prepared by the working group successfully passed the examination and was approved on February 27, 2025. Based on the Strategy, the University Development Program was prepared for the period up to 2030 with a perspective up to 2036. In March, following the presentation of the Program to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, our university entered the leading group of universities participating in the Priority 2030 program and received funding in the amount of 1 billion rubles.
In accordance with the concept of achieving technological leadership in Russia through the unification of efforts of the state, business and universities to create joint projects, the Polytechnic University concentrates its efforts on three key scientific and technological areas (KST) and the transformation of engineering education:
KNTN-1 "System Digital Engineering"; KNTN-2 "New Materials, Technologies, Production"; KNTN-3 "Artificial Intelligence for Solving Cross-Industry Problems"; Transformation of Engineering Education
21 projects were approved within the framework of key areas, and all of them correspond to the priority areas of scientific and technological development of the country. Also, based on the results of the competition, 42 educational projects were selected aimed at creating new formats for employers' participation in the updated model of engineering education; integrating additional professional programs and blue-collar jobs into basic educational programs; implementing network educational programs; developing and implementing additional professional education programs for participants and veterans of the Secondary Military Educational Institutions; developing massive online courses and solving other pressing issues.
The first results of the new projects have already appeared. The team of our Advanced Engineering School won the Russian championship in ultralight aviation on an improved aircraft, which was modified within the framework of the Priority-2030 program.
The multi-material printing unit has been improved and pilot samples of combustion chambers for micro-jet engines have been manufactured; documentation for serial production of hot gas-turbine engine parts has been approved. Laser cladding technologies have been implemented for highly efficient repair of critically loaded parts in power engineering.
Speaking about the university's scientific activities, Andrey Rudskoy cited data on key indicators for 2024 and interim results for 2025. The first and very important indicator is the effectiveness of the postgraduate program. Today, almost 1,200 postgraduate students are studying. In 2024–2025, almost 200 theses were defended. This year, the university entered a pilot project to create an industrial postgraduate program.
The most important indicator of the practice-oriented nature of scientific work is the total volume of cash receipts from R & D and the provision of scientific and technological services. In 2024, this figure at the Polytechnic exceeded four billion rubles, and at the current moment of this year, the volume of cash receipts from R & D is three billion rubles. This means that the research and development of Polytechnicians is needed by industry, is in demand by the real sector of the economy and contributes to achieving scientific and technological leadership of the country.
Despite all the achievements of scientific thought, the main activity of the university remains education. Andrey Rudskoy noted that this year the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University continues to be in demand among applicants – more than 200,000 applications for admission have been received.
It is very pleasing that applicants are showing renewed interest in engineering fields, and the passing score for them has increased. There is a significant increase in the number of SVO participants and children enrolled under a separate quota: our university ranks fifth in Russia in terms of the number of applicants of this category enrolled. And not only these figures are important here, but also the subsequent support of such students throughout the entire period of study, – said Andrey Rudskoy.
Andrey Rudskoy focused on the transformation of the national higher education system.
We are moving away from the Bologna system, changing requirements, accents and approaches. The university is expected not only to provide quality training, but also to be a driver of the country's development, a generator of ideas, a partner of industry, a leader in the international academic agenda. Six universities in the country are testing a new system of higher education as part of a pilot project, Polytechnic University will be in the second stage, and we have serious work ahead of us, – the rector said.
Moving on to the international activities of the university, Andrey Ivanovich noted that, despite the general decline in applications due to the geopolitical situation, the admission of foreign applicants is expected to be almost at the level of last year. This is facilitated by the active work of our university's international services to promote education at the Polytechnic abroad. The total number of foreign citizens at the Polytechnic is about 8,000 people from 77 countries.
The largest project for the Polytechnic University was the national project for the development of Slavic universities. On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science, SPbPU supervises four universities in Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In addition, the Polytechnic University continues to coordinate the activities of the Russian-African Network University.
In his report, Andrey Rudskoy covered in detail the transformation in the sphere of youth policy at the university, associated with an increased emphasis on strengthening traditional spiritual and moral values, raising a patriotic and socially responsible individual, and expanding the range of opportunities for self-realization and development for each polytechnic student.
The head of the university also spoke about the development of the university’s infrastructure both at present and in the future, the renewal of the material and technical base, the renovation of laboratories, classrooms, dormitories, recreation centers, and the opening of new points of attraction, such as the Mineralogy Museum.
The rector also touched upon the issues of developing the corporate information system "My Polytechnic", expanding opportunities for the growth and development of polytechnics, and revealing their talents. And he called on polytechnics not to be modest, to talk more actively about their successes and achievements, as this forms the image of the entire university – strong, modern, open.
The university's media activities are confirmed by high professional assessments: for the second year in a row, the university has become a laureate of the national award "For Loyalty to Science" in the nomination "Scientific Press Service of the Year"; it is among the top universities in the media rating of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. And thanks to the support of St. Petersburg residents, Polytechnic University has been recognized as the best university in St. Petersburg for the third time.
Every success, initiative or event is a potential contribution to strengthening the university's image as one of the leading universities in the country, as well as promoting the personal brand of a scientist, teacher and employee as a polytechnician and a highly qualified specialist. I urge the departments, all of you, colleagues, to actively engage in information work, Andrey Rudskoy addressed his colleagues.
The rector also focused on the financial activities of the university, specifically highlighting the work of the Endowment Fund, which has grown this year to 127 million rubles.
And in conclusion of the report, Andrey Rudskoy spoke about the outstanding people who became honorary doctors and honorary professors of SPbPU last academic year.
In conclusion of his speech, Andrey Rudskoy sincerely thanked the entire Polytechnic staff for their professionalism, dedication and conscientious work.
Dear colleagues! Today, a new academic year begins, which brings not only challenges, but also opportunities. Everything we do, we do for the sake of the future — our country, our science, our youth. Let every day of your work at the Polytechnic be a step forward. We are one team, and together we can do a lot. We have proven this more than once, and, of course, we will prove it more than once, — Andrey Rudskoy summed up.
The culmination of the meeting was the awarding of the best employees of the Polytechnic University for their conscientious work and high achievements. The first to be invited to the stage was the Honored Master of Sports, assistant of the Higher School of Sports Education of the Institute of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism Kirill Prigoda. World, European and Russian swimming champion, record holder, Honored Master of Sports Kirill Prigoda already has among his numerous awards the SPbPU badge of distinction "For Merit", but after his recent triumph at the World Championships in Singapore, the Polytechnic University once again expressed its gratitude to its graduate for his outstanding sports achievements, enhancing the image and prestige of the university. Kirill received the University's Gratitude, a memorable gift and, of course, a standing ovation from the audience.
Those were also rewarded with warm applause polytechnics, who on this solemn day received from the hands of the rector Andrei Rudskoy the insignia “For Merit”.
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