Published on: 2026-08-05
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A delegation from one of India’s largest private universities — Lovely Professional University (LPU) — visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The meeting not only discussed current partnership projects but also outlined steps to expand academic and scientific cooperation for the coming years.
The LPU delegation was led by the Director of the International Relations Department, Mr. Rahul Chhabra. From the Russian side, the meeting was attended by the Head of the International Cooperation Department of SPbPU, Vladimir Khizhnyak, Deputy Head of the International Education Department, Tatyana Sytnikova, Head of the International Programs and Academic Mobility Department, Olga Emelyanova, as well as Associate Professors of the Graduate School of Production Management, Olga Ergounova and Andrey Somov, who have been cooperating with LPU for many years.
Vladimir Khizhnyak noted: India is a strategic partner of Polytech. We highly value our cooperation with Lovely Professional University. Joint monographs published by IGI Global, scientific articles indexed in Scopus, and the successful conclusion of the SMART CITY 2030 competition are just the beginning of a long journey. I am confident that this meeting will give new momentum to our interaction and open up prospects for joint scientific breakthroughs.
The head of the LPU delegation, Rahul Chhabra, expressed interest in developing student exchange and proposed launching semester programs: We are open to new forms of cooperation — from short internships and summer schools to dual degree programs and large-scale scientific projects. We invite our partners from SPbPU to participate in our annual Global Summit in October — it is a great opportunity to meet colleagues from 500 universities worldwide and outline joint plans.
During the negotiations, the parties discussed the possibility of launching joint educational programs. Particular interest was sparked by the summer and winter schools of SPbPU — the largest in Russia in terms of participants and countries. Representatives of the Polytechnic University presented information about more than 40 courses across six fields (engineering, digital technologies, energy, social sciences, economics, Russian language). They also discussed the possibility of Indian students participating in the International Winter University.
Founder International SMART CITY 2030 Competition Professor Olga Ergunova presented the results of the joint work of the universities. Among the key achievements are the publication of six collective monographs by the IGI Global publishing house (Scopus), the preparation of joint scientific articles, as well as the successful experience of awarding six faculty members of the Higher School of Production Management at SPbPU the status of invited professors at LPU.
Representatives of LPU invited professors from the Polytechnic to participate in the annual international conference and global summit of LPU (AICGS-2026). Participation in the event will provide an opportunity to present the results of joint research to the international scientific community, expand professional contacts, and identify new directions for academic collaboration.
The parties discussed the “Student Marathon” project — an international online hackathon where interdisciplinary teams of students from different countries solve real technical problems. Programs for research internships in SPbPU laboratories for master’s and PhD students were also presented, upon completion of which an international certificate is issued. Indian partners expressed their willingness to accept Russian students for similar internships, as well as involve them in joint international projects, including design initiatives and creative interuniversity programs.
The meeting confirmed the universities’ ambition to elevate the partnership to a qualitatively new level — from implementing individual projects to comprehensive academic integration covering education, scientific research, academic mobility, and innovative activities.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.