Published on: 2026-05-13
Source: Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University of Peter the Great –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great, Irkutsk National Research Technical University (IRNITU), and the Ministry of Education of the Irkutsk Region signed an agreement on strategic partnership. The universities are implementing the “Physics in a Square” project. It is aimed at creating conditions in the region for enhanced study of physics by IRNITU students, as well as for the professional development of physics teachers in schools of the Irkutsk Region.
Educational and scientific ties between Irkutsk and Saint Petersburg, despite the significant distance between the cities, have never been interrupted, and during the Great Patriotic War the cities played a key role in the defense of the country and its Victory. Irkutsk not only became an important rear for the evacuation of dozens of enterprises from the west of the country, but also played a significant role in the defense of Leningrad — the 114th Rifle Division, formed in Irkutsk, participated in the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade.
Engineering education was and remains extremely important for our country. It ensured victory in the Great Patriotic War through the creation of technologies and the provision of the front, and today it is the foundation of technological progress, the solution to global problems, and economic development. High-quality and advanced engineering training is impossible without fundamental physical and mathematical education.Such cooperation was discussed in detail during the visit to INIT by Pavel Zagarov, Director of the Institute of Physics and Mathematics at SPbPU, and his deputy Petr Velikorussov at a meeting with the Minister of Education of the Irkutsk Region Maxim Parfenov and the Rector of Irkutsk Polytechnic Mikhail Kornyakov.
One of the main forms of our interaction with IRNITU will become network educational programs aimed at concentrating the best practices and resources that will help future engineers to fully assimilate the necessary knowledge. In addition, network access to infrastructure is important. I note that Irkutsk Polytechnic also has quality infrastructure, but there is always something with which we can help each other. Another significant element of cooperation is mutual qualification improvement.This is one of the fundamental components necessary in the work of a university lecturer and a school teacher,” reported Pavel Zagarov, director of IFIM.
The “Politev in the Square” project provides a unified educational space for Saint Petersburg and Irkutsk to implement hands-on physical experiments in the educational process. These are new opportunities for studying physics by first-year students of ILNIIT, as well as for mastering innovative teaching methods by teachers of schools in the Irkutsk region.
During the connection from the INTERNET in real-time mode, physics laboratory works were demonstrated. These laboratory setups with remote control were specially developed at the Saint Petersburg Peter the Great Polytechnic University. The lecturers of SPbPU accompanied the demonstration, shared experience and methods of using these works in the educational process.
For teachers interested in updating methodological aids and expanding the range of practical tasks, Associate Professor of the Physics Department at SPbPU Mislimat Faradjeva conducted a fragment of a laboratory work on studying the Doppler effect. The educational laboratory setup was controlled by Associate Professor of the Physics Department at ILNITU Petr Konovalov, who assessed the functionality, interface convenience, and the ability to observe and control the setup in real-time mode. The project implementation became possible thanks to the “Priority 2030” program, in which both universities participate.Building a new model of higher education is only possible through joint work, introducing new technologies and methods for the quality training of Russia’s engineers.
According to the Ministry of Education of the Irkutsk region, physics has been among the top three leaders in the region in the choice of Unified State Exam subjects for the third year. This year, it was chosen by 19.6% of exam participants (compared to 16.8% in 2025), which emphasizes the importance of improving the quality of training both for physics teachers and for students of engineering specialties. The signed agreement provides for the unification of potentials of the leading engineering universities — IRNITU and SPbPU — in the field of teaching fundamental disciplines.Universities focus on joint educational programs aimed at improving the qualifications and professional retraining of employees of SPbPU, IRNITU, and schools of the Irkutsk region.
As part of the implementation of the signed agreement on strategic partnership, the first working meeting was held with Svetlana Malykh, Vice-Rector of the Institute for the Development of Education of the Irkutsk Region, during which an action plan for the project “Polite in the Square” was drawn up, including, in particular, a joint pedagogical intensive by SPBPU and ILNITU for physics teachers of all municipal districts of the Irkutsk Region, timed to coincide with the traditional August pedagogical meetings.
Take note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an exact report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.