InteRussia: new round of fellowship programmes has been launched in St Petersburg

2023-08-02 17:56 Energy

On 1 August, St Petersburg State University of Economics hosted the opening ceremony of another InteRussia fellowship programme for economists who study energy. The current round is organised by the Gorchakov Fund together with St Petersburg State University of Economics, the Russia-ASEAN Business Council, and Russian Energy Agency.

During this month, young specialists from energy companies, relevant business associations, and research centres of ASEAN member states will attend lectures and seminars by leading teachers and industry managers, visit energy infrastructure facilities in Moscow and St Petersburg, analyse case studies, and meet top experts and heads of energy agencies.

The fellows were addressed by Igor Maksimtsev, Rector of SPSUE. He welcomed foreign specialists and introduced them to the university activities in the field of energy. SPSUE is Gazprom’s flagship university which works with many energy companies and think tanks, runs master’s programmes, MBAs, and professional retraining courses:

"Russian fuel and energy companies can become a factor of stability and security for ASEAN member states in the context of global transformation of the world architecture. Significant competences of Russian companies make it possible to engage both in the exploration and development of oil and gas fields and major infrastructure projects, such as advanced use of LNG, development of nuclear power, hydropower, and renewable energy sources."

Sergey Romanov, Deputy Director General of Russian Energy Agency by the Russian Ministry of Energy, one of the fellowship programme’s partners, told the fellows about modern trends that influence the development of global energy sector. Among them, he noted the transformation of energy markets, geopolitical shifts, breakthrough technological development, the climate agenda, and others.

The REA deputy director general also emphasised the cooperation between the Agency and the ASEAN Centre for Energy, expressing hope that the fellowship programme would help build long-term mutually beneficial relations between Russia and ASEAN:

"In 2021, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Russia’s relations with the Association and the 25th anniversary of the full-scale Russian-ASEAN partnership, one of the key areas of which has always been energy. A lot has been achieved over these years, but with the emergence of new trends in the global energy sector, there are more avenues for cooperation between our countries. It is important for us to develop constructive and mutually beneficial relations with ASEAN member states and intensify energy dialogue."

On behalf of Ivan Polyakov, Chairman of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council, the participants were welcomed by Samat Satvoldinov, Executive Secretary of the organisation. He presented the initiatives of the Council that are aimed at developing relations between Russia and ASEAN member states in the fields of industrial, educational, scientific, and technical cooperation:

"2023 is a significant year because we celebrate the 5th anniversary of upgrading the Russia-ASEAN relations to a strategic partnership. The interaction between our countries is developing dynamically. At the Russian Energy Week forum held in October 2022, the Russian Federation and the Association’s member states expressed the need to deepen energy and technological cooperation, intensify industrial interaction, and launch educational programmes with the purpose to strengthen dialogue between relevant specialists."

Lyana Dymova, Academic Programmes Coordinator at the Gorchakov Fund, spoke about the Fund’s projects in different areas of social, educational, and scientific cooperation, as well as implementation of the fellowship programme.

According to her, the audience of the InteRussia project are young and promising representatives of various professions from many countries and regions who are interested in their own professional development and personal growth, who love to travel and make meet new people, who want to develop cooperation with Russia and their Russian colleagues, and who are interested in Russian culture and life of our country today:

"In recent years, there have been significant changes in the world that are significantly altering the geopolitical landscape and giving the current movement of Russia and ASEAN towards each other a special meaning. Therefore, the implementation of this programme is extremely important for both sides. We hope that it will become the basis for fruitful cooperation between our countries."

The InteRussia fellowship programme for foreign specialists is one of the priority projects of the Gorchakov Fund. Over the almost two years of its implementation, more than 100 people from about 50 countries have visited Russia. This time the programme is dedicated to a specific region: the ASEAN member states.