The experts of the Social Centre are working at Saratov State University under the Priority 2030 programme. On June 14, a project session began, its purpose is to analyse and adjust the work of various university units, and to improve communication between the employees and the research groups.
The session participants were divided into groups in five areas – Target Model, Basic Processes, End-to-End Processes, Strategic Projects, and Partnership. The groups turned out to be diverse – scientists from various faculties and institutes, as well as representatives of the administration were in one team.
The first stage of teamwork was to identify the true mission of the university. The SSU staff commented how they considered the university mission, what they counted on in their work, formed the target model of the university, identified the criteria for the achievability of the plans. In the second part, the session participants focused on the issues which characterised their directions and impeded in reaching the target model.
The Strategic Projects direction was presented by Junior Researcher of the Metamaterials Laboratory Anna Khutiyeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Dynamic Modelling and Biomedical Engineering Yurii Ishbulatov, and Assistant of the Department of Dynamic Modelling and Biomedical Engineering Alexander Kurbako. The group sees SSU as a hybrid university with world-class fundamental and applied research (leadership in neuro-regenerative medicine, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, advanced materials, and chemical technologies). To do this, it is necessary to bring the strategic projects of the Priority 2030 programme to specific technologies or products in demand on the market. As for the difficulties, the team highlighted the aspects related to logistics, the outflow of highly qualified personnel, and the need for regular updating of the equipment.
Head of the Office of Education Sergei Udalov and the Deputy Director of the Institute of Chemistry for Academic Affairs Irina Gamayunova presented the Basic Processes direction. The participants reviewed the basic processes at the university considering education, innovation, and research. The group emphasized the need to individualise education, make graduates interact with partners, predict long-term requests for graduates' competencies, and focus on human resources. Sergei Udalov noted that Saratov State University was a classical university not from the point of view of institutional standards, but primarily from the point of view of content and ideology: research, training, a wide range of activities. According to the group, the problems were connected with misunderstanding which may occur with employers.
Associate Professor of the Department of National History and Historiography Anton Luchnikov presented the results in the End-to-End Processes direction. According to the project team, the SSU target model was the largest research and educational centre in the region, southern Russia, and the near abroad. For the development of the university, the group suggested focusing on such factors as partnership, education, and the environment. The participants of the group pointed out the need to develop urbanism and the intra-university environment, as well as increase the tourist attractiveness of the region. The group identified such problem as a shortage of personnel.
The university development programme in the Partnership direction was presented by the head of the Department of Dynamic Modelling and Biomedical Engineering Anatolii Karavayev, Deputy Head of the Department of Modelling of Technological Processes, Inius CJSC, Igor Nikiforov, and Senior Researcher of the Remotely Controlled Theranostic Systems Laboratory Maria Lomova. According to the group, the indicators of partnership development were related with gaining the prestige of the university, boosting the university investments, developing a modern material, equipment and infrastructure, as well as increasing the volume of intellectual property. To solve those issues, the group proposed to establish a centre that would combine the needs of the university and the industry – a place where science and production would meet.
The “target model” of the university was presented by Deputy Director of the Institute of Physics Asel Adilova, Head of the Office of Digital and Information Technologies Leonid Bessonov, and Associate Professor of the Department of National History and Historiography Victor Khasin. The group participants said that SSU developed the region by developing new technologies, the brand of the region, and the social and cultural environment. The project team noted the need to develop horizontal command at the university, organise youth research offices, and introduce methods for interdisciplinary scientific communication.
The plenary reports caused a heated discussion. The SSU researchers and the administration asked questions to colleagues, clarified ideas for the university development, and options for solving problems. The experts of the Social Centre shared recommendations in the targeted areas.
‘There are a lot of young ambitious people at SSU who discuss the future of their university very openly and correctly. It is important for the university to develop an image of the future university that will please both employees, students, enrollees, partners, and regional and federal authorities. If such an image is created, the university will flourish and develop,’ Ivan Gushchin, an expert of the Social Centre, Associate Professor of the Department of Biophysicists, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, said.
‘You have a very highly intelligent team, you have an extraordinary atmosphere. It seems to me that you have excellent communication at the university, because people work together harmoniously, with great desire. It is clear that the university is a place that its employees consider as their home, as an integral part of themselves,’ an expert of the Social Centre, Director of the Project Office, Derzhavin Tambov State University, Marina Medvedeva shared her impressions.
On June 15, the groups is to present the results of the work, as well as the third cycle of the project session is to take place.
