On the evening of September 11, 2025, a China-Russia faculty-student meeting for the HIT–SPbU chemistry undergraduate education program between Harbin Institute of Technology’s School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and St. Petersburg State University (SPbU) was held in Conference Room 301 of the Activity Center. Attendees included Prof. Irina A. Balova, Dean of SPbU’s Faculty of Chemistry, and faculty representatives from SPbU, Liu Guanghui, Party Secretary of HIT’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and relevant faculty members from HIT, as well as all undergraduate students enrolled in the joint education program. The event was hosted by Prof. Wang Lei, Director of the International Development Center of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
Prof. Irina A. Balova provided a comprehensive overview of St. Petersburg State University’s educational characteristics and development achievements. She noted that during this visit, both sides have reached in-depth consensus on research cooperation and joint graduate student training, and will accelerate the implementation of specific cooperation models, expanding more diverse development pathways for students.. She emphasized that the two universities should take educational cooperation as a bond to continuously deepen China-Russia educational exchanges, jointly cultivate innovative talents with international vision, and inject new vitality into scientific cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
On behalf of all faculty and students at the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Liu Guanghui warmly welcomed the visiting delegation from SPbU’s Faculty of Chemistry and expressed sincere appreciation for their special visit. He noted that through the joint efforts of both universities, the collaborative program has progressed smoothly, with students demonstrating outstanding performance in professional competence, comprehensive capabilities, and all-round development, reflecting solid training outcomes. He encouraged all students to cherish the high-quality educational resources provided by both China and Russia, continuously consolidate their foundation for personal development, accelerate the enhancement of their international vision, and strive to grow into a new generation capable of shouldering the important mission of national rejuvenation. At the same time, he expressed hope that both sides would take this deepened exchange as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation in talent cultivation, scientific research, and platform development, promote more fruitful outcomes in China-Russia educational cooperation, and contribute to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.
During the open discussion session, students actively raised questions on key topics including curriculum articulation, participation in scientific research practice, and integrated bachelor’s-master’s training programs. The SPbU faculty team provided detailed responses based on frontier developments in the discipline and the characteristics of Russian higher education, creating lively interaction and a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
As a vivid example of China-Russia higher education cooperation, this meeting not only demonstrated HIT’s educational philosophy of “International Cooperation for Excellence”, but also built a bridge for mutual learning and mutual appreciation between China and Russia. In the future, both two universities will continue to work hand in hand, deepen close cooperation, jointly explore innovative pathways for education, and cultivate more outstanding talents with both strong national commitment and international competitiveness for China, Russia, and the global chemistry community.
