New programme to boost Russian-German relations

The German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD, and the Association of Leading Russian Universities, or ARU, have established a declaration of intent centring on a new grants programme for highly qualified junior academics and students.

The Abram Joffe programme agreement, which was signed by DAAD President Margret Wintermantel and ARU Chairman Nikolay Kropachev in Bonn, Germany, is to support study and research stays in the respective other country for students and academics.

“Germany and Russia have already maintained a productive academic relationship for many years,” says Wintermantel. “I now look forward to intensifying this cooperation.”

The ARU was founded in 2010. It now comprises more than 40 Russian universities, among them both the country’s oldest and most renowned institutions and more recently established ones that are regarded as highly innovative and modern. Some universities created by mergers and demonstrating particularly high performance levels are among its membership as well. ARU universities are entitled to special funding from the Russian government.

The new programme is named after Abram Fiedorowicz Joffe (1880-1960), a physicist who made substantial contributions to modern Russian science and has figured among the country’s leading academics. Joffe did his doctorate in Munich under German physicist Conrad Röntgen, who detected X-rays. In 1958, Joffe became a member of the Leopoldina, in Halle, East Germany, which is the world’s oldest academy of natural sciences.

The Russian higher education system is eager to enhance its international presence. So far, its institutions have failed to enter the top 100 league in major international rankings. Universities are above all seeking to enhance their appeal and attract more international students.

In 2015, the Global Universities Association was founded, comprising a network of 15 Russian universities. The aim is to make Russian universities more internationally competitive by getting five Russian institutions into the top 100 league, having at least 10% of the research and teaching staff international and having at least 15% of enrolments comprising international students by 2020.

One of the steps already taken is the establishment of a unified recruitment centre – for the application process and to ensure that academics from abroad meet academic and language requirements.

Michael Gardner Email: michael.gardner@uw-news.com