Cooperation of St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University (SPbSPU) with Finnish Universities of Applied science is an important issue in the agenda of the SPbSPU internationalization. Finnish UAS are one of the most important strategic partners of our University. Cooperation between our institutions is implemented in the field of student exchange programs, joint educational programs, undergraduate and graduate programs, joint innovation projects for cross-border cooperation.
Working internationally SPbSPU had been visited by 254 delegations and teams a total of 714 people from 40 countries in the current year. The leader in the number of visitors is Finland -148 people. This is not surprising, given the large number of research projects and joint education bachelor’s and master’s programs, conducted SPbSPU together with the universities of Northern neighbor.
Valuable example of cooperation is long term history of work with Savonia University of Applied Science. Started in 2005, when SPbSPU Deans Club was invited to visit Savonia for familiarization visit, our universities’ cooperation has been reinforced by cooperation agreement on strategic partnership, signed by rectors of the universities in 2010. One of the most successful projects is the “Network for excellence in tourism through organizations and Universities in Russia”.
More than a hundred students and teachers of Savonia have been participating in short term study programs in business, IT, Russian language and culture, vocational training programs conducted by SPbSPU within last years. Saimaa University of Applied Sciences is one of our partners in double degree programs cooperation. “Theory and practice of organizational, technological, and economic decision-making“, “Organization and management of investment and construction projects“, “Automated design of buildings“, “Energetic and Sustainable Development“ – here is the list of joint degree programs developed and successfully conducted by our universities.
Our university cooperation with Finnish Universities of Applied sciences has a wide frame, long standing traditions and stable mutual benefits. There are a lot of Universities which are worse to be mentioned here such as Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences – our good partner in Civil Enginireeng, Haaga Helia UAS – partner in Russian language, culture and tourism, Kymenlaakso UAS – Design, Russian Language, business studies etc.
In 2012, together with the Finnish partners we celebrated 100 years of engineering education in Finland which was hosted by Tampere University of Applied Sciences. We were proud to be invited to this event, proud to understand committed partnership between UASs in Finland and HEIs Russia that lays the ground for our mutual long term success in training of highly qualified specialists.
Author
Elena Nikonchuk, Director, International Educational Projects Office, St.Petersburg State Polytechnical University, nikonchuk@imop.spbstu.ru
