On May 28, the Belarusian National Technical University hosted breakout session No. 1 of the Sixth Forum of the Association of Universities of Russia and Belarus on the topic of scientific and technical cooperation between universities of Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State.
Before the event, BNTU Rector Sergey Kharitonchik shared the importance of the forum in the development of international education and science.
— Each forum is a very important step towards the integration of different systems. University and international forums are very important steps towards bringing together approaches and views on problematic issues in our education system. At today's forum, we are considering issues related to our technological integration. It seems to me that these issues are at the forefront today, because today we see how important the technological power of each country is. The forum shows the interest of mostly technological universities in issues that drive new technologies and products. We will talk about cooperation, the development of new directions, ideas, in order to understand how to bring new products to the market as quickly as possible. It is very important that we can involve the younger generation in this matter, the new generation of students who are studying today and will come to the university. We must show them that this is very interesting, relevant, timely, and they will definitely find themselves in the new directions that are developing at universities today. BNTU plays an important role because we are the main technical university in our country. We are generally responsible for the development of engineering education in the state, and we usually formulate a work agenda for all universities in Belarus and Russia, and this is being discussed. When the time comes when it will have to be commercialized, we understand that the main task will fall on BNTU, since BNTU has the most powerful scientific and technological park in our country among all universities. Therefore, we are well aware that we are here today as a very important link in the chain of our common interaction.
In turn, Alexey Egorov, Rector of the Belarusian State University of Economics, noted that the forum would not end with a simple conversation, but that cooperation between the universities of the two countries would reach a new level.
— The main educational and research institutions of Russia and Belarus are involved here. The very fact that this is happening at the BNTU speaks volumes. This means that we keep the brand, we have a fairly high level of scientific and technical cooperation, and there are quite a lot of projects. Today, even if you look at the agenda, you can see cooperation in the technical, medical, and humanitarian fields, without which the integration of the two educational and research systems cannot be carried out. Therefore, the projects already depend on each university individually, but at the same time the direction is quite important. I want to emphasize that I will be speaking on humanitarian projects today. We can talk a lot about scientific and technical cooperation, but if we weaken the humanitarian component somewhere, there will be no true integration. Because, no matter how we say it, scientific and technical integration of interactions is more of a commercial segment. We still receive dividends in the form of profits from these projects. And when we talk about the humanitarian sphere, it's as if we are only investing, without having a significant return. But at the same time, it's a long game. And these are really serious projects. I'm talking about these projects because I head the Belarusian State University of Economics, we have a larger field at the intersection of natural sciences, we also have a faculty of digital economics, humanities, and social sciences: economics, political science, sociology, and other fields. Therefore, I think there will be a good exchange of views today and it just shouldn't end with a conversation, it will most likely lead to effective projects between our two countries.
The event was moderated by Sergey Kharitonchik, and co–moderated by Oleg Trofimov, Rector of Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University.
The first speaker was Alexander Khudin, Chairman of the Council of Rectors of Universities of the Kursk Region, Rector of Kursk State University. He presented a detailed report on "Scientific and technical cooperation with universities and scientific organizations in Belarus: the experience of Kursk State University." Alexander Nikolaevich spoke about joint research projects, as well as academic mobility programs that allow students and teachers of the two countries to complete internships at leading enterprises of the Union State.
Sergey Kharitonchik made a presentation on "The Forum of Universities of Engineering and Technology of the Union State as a platform for the formation of a unified scientific and educational space." He noted that the regular holding of engineering and technology forums makes it possible to systematically coordinate curricula and develop joint educational programs. The rector also presented to the audience a film about the "Forum of Universities of Engineering and Technology of the Union State, which clearly showed the scale and results of the forum, which was held in 2025.
Elena Odoevskaya, Vice-Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, spoke about joint scientific seminars and publications in scientific journals in her report "Scientific and Technical cooperation between the Higher School of Economics and Belarusian partner universities: experience and Prospects." Rector of Gomel State Technical University named after P.O. Sukhoi Artur Putyato, in turn, presented the report "Educational and scientific cooperation of Sukhoi State State University with universities of the Russian Federation in the field of energy". He spoke about joint research in the field of renewable energy and smart grids.
In his report "The Integration potential of the Union State's humanitarian programs," Alexey Egorov emphasized that the success of scientific and technical cooperation is impossible without the harmonization of humanitarian disciplines.
After the presentations, co-moderator Oleg Trofimov summed up the session, noting that the presented reports confirm the high dynamics of integration processes in the field of higher education and science.
Thus, the last breakout session not only strengthened BNTU's position as a key link in the integration of engineering education, but also set specific guidelines for joint scientific and technical projects.
