KFU hosts meeting of the Union State Network University of High Technology
The two rectors of base universities met today in Kazan.
The Russian side was represented by the Rector of KFU, Lenar Safin, while the Rector of BSTU, Sergei Kasperovich, spoke on behalf of the Belarusian partners.
The event itself was held in a hybrid format. Representatives of Kazan University and Kazan National Research Technical University were present in person. Experts from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Republic of Belarus, the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, as well as representatives of Belarusian higher education, joined the proceedings via video conference.
The meeting agenda included a number of issues related to the development of the Network University’s activities and the setting of tasks for the immediate future.
Lenar Safin, for his part, stated the need to expand cooperation between the two countries in high technology and in the advanced training of engineering and technical personnel.
Notably, this is being actively articulated today at the highest level as well. This necessity was highlighted at the press conference of the Presidents of Russia and Belarus held on March 13, 2025, where promising directions for achieving a technological breakthrough were also outlined.
“Activities regarding the development of the Network University are a focus of attention and receive support from both the Standing Committee of the Union State and the relevant national ministries,” noted Dr Safin. “Kazan Federal University is the Russian base university in this project. We are effectively transforming our concept, directing it toward solving tasks of technological leadership. Joint scientific research is being conducted with Belarusian partners, including 12 leading universities, in the fields of cancer treatment, unmanned vehicle development, chemical technologies, agricultural machinery robotization, and import substitution. I am confident that by combining the scientific and educational potential of our universities, we will be able to contribute to the achievement of all tasks set before us.”
Sergei Kasperovich, in turn, also emphasized the importance of the issue.
“The Network University is truly a strategic project aimed at strengthening the technological sovereignty of the Union State. By combining our resources, we can achieve synergy in the given direction. Today we can expand our capabilities. Therefore, I want to wish all Consortium participants constructive work,” he said.
Thus, the generation of a new class of qualified personnel within the framework of the Network University is planned for such high-tech and science-intensive industries as “New Technologies and Materials,” “Software Engineering, Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence,” “Petrochemicals and Energetic Materials,” “Unmanned Vehicles,” “Aerospace Research,” “High-Tech Medical Machinery and Equipment,” “Fundamental Physics and Photonics,” “Microelectronics,” and “Ecology and Environmental Protection.” Separate expert groups will be created for the areas.
In general, the implementation of the project is planned in several stages. During today’s meeting, the parties determined the list of objectives for 2026.
First of all, it was proposed to expand the Consortium through the accession of new participating universities. By a joint decision, 8 more Belarusian universities will be invite to the project this year, namely, Belarusian State University, Belarusian National Technical University, Belarusian-Russian University, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Brest State Technical University, Sukhoi State Technical University of Gomel, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, and Euphrosyne Polotskaya State University of Polotsk. From Russia, the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology and Kazan National Research Technological University will enter the Consortium.
In the opinion of the participants, this step will allow for opening new directions for development and becoming even more effective in achieving the set goals. Additional opportunities regarding the exchange of practices and knowledge will open up for project participants.
This and other tasks, as well as the roadmap of interaction, and ways to solve financial, legal, and other organizational issues, were reflected in the working protocol, which was approved today by the signatures of the rectors of the base universities – KFU and BSTU.
The decision to launch the Union State University of High Technologies in a network form was approved in 2024 by the leadership of Russia and Belarus. This initiative is aimed at combining the educational and scientific resources of the leading universities of the two countries.
Kazan Federal University was designated as the base university from the Russian side, and the Belarusian State Technological University from the Belarusian side.
The Network University will train specialists for high-tech and science-intensive industries that have strategic importance for the sustainable socioeconomic development of both countries. The project is also aimed at facilitating the formation of a unified educational and scientific-technological space.