The new development program of North-Eastern Federal University is based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The international activity of the university will be associated with projects aimed at achieving sustainable development goals in priority areas. Vice Rector for International Cooperation Vladlen Kugunurov told the listeners of Radio Sakha about it.

Since the early 2000s, NEFU has been participating in the work of the University of the Arctic network and has strong ties with East Asian partners in Korea, China and Japan and with other leading universities in the world. Russian universities face the tasks of developing export potential, inviting foreign specialists, implementing joint programs, research projects, the vice rector noted: “450 foreign citizens from 40 countries study at our university on the main educational programs and programs of the preparatory department. More than 50 specialists from partner universities are annually invited to give lectures, including within the framework of educational programs, as well as to participate in joint research projects."

NEFU has more than 120 partnership agreements with universities, research centers, companies. Within the terms of the agreements, academic exchange of students, specialists with universities, scientific institutions of Korea, China, Japan, Finland, France and other countries is carried out. Annually, more than 300 students and postgraduates of NEFU participate in interuniversity exchange programs, as well as in mobility programs, like the north2north Mobility Program of the University of the Arctic and others. Also, at the expense of the endowment fund, the university has developed its own scholarship mobility program for students and postgraduates NEFU Academic Mobility.

Work on the adaptation of foreign students at the university is carried out within the framework of the plan. NEFU International student organization was created in 2011, which helps in the integration, adaptation of students, the establishment of intercultural contacts. This academic year, foreign freshmen were unable to come to NEFU due to the pandemic, so the training will be held in a distance format, Vladlen Kugunurov emphasized: “Nevertheless, students of the Faculty of Pre-university training already show a good level of Russian language proficiency, indicating the quality of education, and this is an important factor for further work on the international admissions.”

To expand the recruitment of international students, universities must ensure the quality of education in demanded specialties among foreign students, create comfortable living conditions, attractive export-oriented education programs, as well as in English, carry out competent marketing activity to promote programs in the international market, the vice rector said. NEFU, within the framework of the development program until 2025, also plans to develop and implement new joint educational programs and research projects, to increase the proportion of invited foreign specialists, he concluded.

Let us remember that on January 4, the International Arctic Winter Online School at Harbin Institute of Technology began its work. NEFU is co-organizing a joint project for the fourth time. More than 10 world famous scientists from Norway, Finland, Russia, Canada and other countries will present their online courses in English. Participants of the IAS-HIT-e Winter 2021 will be postgraduate students of the relevant specialties, including master’s and doctoral students of related specialties from ASRTU universities.