On 24 October, the MGIMO Institute for International Studies hosted the opening ceremony of the InteRussia fellowship for specialists in international relations, political science, and foreign area studies. The project is organised by the Gorchakov Fund and MGIMO Institute for International Studies with the support of Rossotrudnichestvo.
The topic of the current fellowship is New Global Challenges and Threats. It is attended by 11 researchers from Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Cuba, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Mongolia, and Serbia.
The fellows were welcomed by Andrey Baykov, Vice-Rector for Science Research at MGIMO University:
The topic of the current fellowship is New Global Challenges and Threats. It is attended by 11 researchers from Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Cuba, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Mongolia, and Serbia.
The fellows were welcomed by Andrey Baykov, Vice-Rector for Science Research at MGIMO University:
"The InteRussia fellowship programme is designed to create a horizontal network of young researchers and professionals around the world who know Russia, who love it for what it is, and who would enjoy professional contacts that subsequently lead to certain research results. We hope that the programme will contribute to a productive academic dialogue on the general development of international relations theory and international studies."
Lyana Dymova, Academic Programmes Coordinator at the Gorchakov Fund, was the next to deliver welcoming remarks to the participants. She introduced them to the Fund’s activities, the project development, as well as the future plans:
"Over the two years of the programme’s existence, more than 140 foreign specialists from over 70 countries have visited Russia, and in each case, programme participants have the opportunity to study at the best universities and leading companies of their interest. Our joint programme with MGIMO was the first, and today it remains one of the most important, as it allows us to bring young researchers together: political scientists and experts in international and area studies from all over the world. We learn from their experience and share ours. We hope that this journey will be useful for you and mark the beginning of our fruitful cooperation."
The ceremony was also attended by Maxim Suchkov, Director of the Institute for International Studies of MGIMO University, who noted the importance of such events:
"MGIMO will be your home for the next six weeks. I know from personal experience that it is not easy to spend such a long period away from home, as I have taken part in student exchanges abroad. But I have also realised that being in a foreign country for an extended period of time is an opportunity to learn new things about yourself, your countries and meet colleagues from all over the world. I encourage you to make the most of your participation in the programme."
At the end, Dmitry Polikanov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, greeted the participants of the InteRussia project via the video conference. He expressed hope that the programme would help foreign specialists strengthen and expand their network of professional ties. In addition, he wished them to fully explore current topics in international relations and reflect important conclusions in their papers about the role Russia can play in resolving global issues:
"It is important to convey the approaches that Russian science uses in studying the complex problems of international relations to audiences in your own countries."
During the coming month, the fellows will draft a research project under the guidance of leading MGIMO specialists, visit analytical and cultural centres and other relevant platforms of our country, and meet with government and society figures.
