“Summer Institute”: Innovative Methods and Approaches in Education and Science

«Summer Institute for Educators and Researchers»
«Russian as a Language of Interethnic Communication»

Overview

The aim of the Summer Institute is to attract talented students to Russian universities by engaging foreign humanities educators in Russia's academic and educational environment.

Participants will be immersed in the research and teaching traditions of the Philological School of Pskov State University and its partner organisations. They will meet leading Russian scholars working on:

• the communicative foundations of interethnic communication;
• the role of Russian as a lingua franca in the modern world;
• how Russian culture, history and tradition are reflected in the language;
• the challenges of teaching Russian as a foreign language abroad.

The programme also includes activities aimed at encouraging talented students to enrol in Russian universities.

Who can take part

Early‑career humanities educators and researchers from higher education institutions and research institutes in:
Belarus, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Abkhazia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and China.

Programme structure

The Summer Institute includes:

• a professional development course: «Russian in Interethnic Dialogue: Communication, Linguodidactics and Cultural Values» (48 academic hours);
• internships at three partner universities;
• a cultural and leisure programme;
• post‑programme follow‑up for participants.

Academic programme

The professional development course uses a modular approach:

• Module 1 – The communicative foundations of intercultural communication
• Module 2 – Cultural approaches to Russian as a language of interethnic communication
• Module 3 – Methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language

The programme prioritises interactive formats: master classes, project sessions, roundtable discussions, case presentations, and even lecture‑concerts. Cultural and educational activities are included to help international participants feel fully immersed. Special attention is given to joint events designed to integrate foreign participants into the Russian educational environment.

Internship venues

Pskov State University's partner universities hosting the internships:

• Saint Petersburg State University of Economics (Saint Petersburg)
  Its Faculty of Humanities is a recognised leader in communication studies and intercultural communication. Its experience of working with Chinese universities serves as a model for international partnerships.

• Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (Saint Petersburg)
  Russia's leading academic and methodological centre for teacher education. For over 20 years, its Faculty of Philology has offered master's programmes in linguocultural education and intercultural communication teaching in multiethnic and multicultural environments.

• Pushkin State Russian Language Institute (Moscow)
  Russia's leading academic and methodological centre for Russian studies. Its core work includes teaching Russian as a foreign language, training and developing Russian language teachers, creating study materials and dictionaries, and administering proficiency testing. The Institute's teaching methods are used by Russian language educators worldwide.

Cultural programme

Participants will visit iconic sites of Russian history and culture:

• Pskov Kremlin
• Izborsk Fortress
• Pskov‑Pechersky Monastery
• Mikhailovskoye and Trigorskoye estates in Pushkinskie Gory
• Alexander Pushkin's grave
• Seto people's estate museum

During internships in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, participants will also enjoy sightseeing tours of both cities.

For younger guests, the organisers have added youth‑friendly activities, including an interactive quiz hosted by the Loft Creative Space.

A traditional Hospitality Evening – designed to help participants build strong personal connections – is a mandatory part of the programme.

«RSUH Summer Institute»
«Historical Processes in the Eurasian Space: Methodology and New Approaches to Study»

Since 2023, RSUH has been running a Summer Institute for early-career professors and researchers from around the world.

Why?
To introduce international colleagues to contemporary Russian research and education in the humanities, showcase our academic achievements, and reignite meaningful international collaboration.

Who can take part?
Early-career researchers and professors from near and far abroad, under 35 years old. You must be employed at a university or research institution in your home country and have a good command of Russian.

Selection is based on motivation, genuine interest in Russian history and culture, and — most importantly — a desire to work together with Russian colleagues.

What does the 2026 Summer Institute offer?
A two-week training course under the professional development programme «Historical Processes in the Eurasian Space: Methodology and New Approaches to Study.»

The focus is firmly on methodology — lectures and workshops are built around how we study the past.

Academic Programme (30 academic hours)

The programme follows the «History and Preservation of Historical Heritage» track and includes six thematic modules:

• History in the Digital and Intellectual Environment of the Future
  Methods of historical analysis in models of the future.
• Russian Research and Pedagogical Schools in the Humanities
  Traditions, continuity, and interdisciplinary potential in shaping future models.
• Science and Technology in Historical Dynamics
  From sectoral evolution to interdisciplinary models of the future society.
• Historical Memory and Cultural Heritage
  Tourism and shared future for the Eurasian space.
• Eurasia as a Platform for Cultural and Tourism Exchange
  From historical ties to future integration models.
• History of International Relations
  Modern analytical methods and scenario modelling of global development.

Internships at Partner Universities

In addition to sessions at RSUH, participants will take part in 6‑hour training modules at universities in other cities:

• Moscow – partner and module to be confirmed (currently under discussion).
• Tula – Tula State Leo Tolstoy Pedagogical University
  Module: «Russian Research and Pedagogical Schools in the Humanities: Traditions, Continuity, and Interdisciplinary Potential in Shaping Future Models.»
• Tver – Tver State University
  Module: «History in the Digital and Intellectual Environment of the Future: Interdisciplinary Methods of Historical Analysis in Future Models.»

Cultural and Leisure Programme

Sightseeing Tours

• Moscow (city tour)
  Kremlin Embankment, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Vorobyovy Gory viewing point, Victory Park at Poklonnaya Gora, Moscow-City business centre, and other landmarks.
• Tver (city tour)
  Historic city centre and the Imperial Travel Palace.
• Tula
  Historic centre and one of the city's museums (included in the trip).

Workshops (an integral part of the cultural programme)

• 3Da Vinci museum‑workshop
• Accelerator (helping turn ideas into projects)
• Workshop (small‑group hands‑on work)

All workshops are linked to the academic programme and focus on project‑based learning.

Hospitality Evening

• A special warm evening:
  → Tour of Oleg Sirota's cheese dairy
  → Dinner at the cheese dairy's café
  → Transfer back to the hotel

Additional Events

Lecture‑Tour «Education Through Art»
Held in the halls of the I.V. Tsvetaev Academic Art Museum — a branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

Participants will see:

• The «University Looking to the Future» exhibition
• Landscapes by Vladimir Serebrovsky, an acclaimed Russian artist
• The Tsvetaev Academic Art Museum complex

The tour can focus on selected galleries or offer an overview of all the exhibitions at the RSUH Museum Centre.

«Summer Institute at N.A. Dobrolyubov Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod»

About the project

The project focuses on Social Sciences.

The LUNN Summer Institute is dedicated to effective mechanisms of social adaptation, intercultural communication, and immersing early-career professors and researchers in a multicultural educational environment at a modern university in the age of globalisation and digitalisation.

Key components of the project:

• a professional development course: «The Modern Information Society and Strategies for Social Adaptation in a Multicultural Educational Environment»;
• developing partnership projects based on training outcomes to expand academic, research and cultural cooperation with partner universities.

Participant countries

We invite early-career professors and researchers from near abroad (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Serbia and others) and far abroad (China, Ethiopia, South Africa, India, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and others).

Key areas of expertise: social communications, philology, linguistics, ethnopsychology, political science, cultural and scientific diplomacy, regional studies, international relations, media communications, social work and youth policy.

Academic programme / internship track

Course modules (28 academic hours, three modules)

• Module 1. «The Information Society and Social Communications» (6 hours)
  One lecture and two practices. Topics: the modern information society, information and communication systems, intercultural communication through a values-based approach, managing cooperation and conflict.

• Module 2. «Ethno‑confessional Foundations of Social Communications» (8 hours)
  Two lectures and two practices. Topics: ethnic and religious dimensions of intercultural communication, strategies for the social adaptation of foreign nationals in an academic environment.

• Module 3. «Business and Academic Communication in Russian and English» (14 hours)
  Seven practices. Topics: business communication in Russian (native, non‑native and foreign) and English as a language of international communication, socio‑cultural aspects of cross‑civilisational interaction, including academic communication.

Internship venues

The programme includes academic communication placements at four venues:

• Innopolis University (Republic of Tatarstan) – 6 academic hours
  Topic: «Digital Tools for the Modern Professor in a Multicultural Educational Environment».
  Visit to the Jalinga self‑recording studio, robotics centre, workshops on visual presentation tools and creating chatbots for education, tour of Innopolis.

• N.P. Ogarev Mordovia State University (Saransk, Republic of Mordovia) – 6 academic hours
  Topic: «Academic and Cultural Cross‑Civilisational Diplomacy in the Context of Global Leadership».
  Workshops on soft diplomacy, leadership practices in promoting Russian science, culture and education abroad.

• Knyaginino University (Nizhny Novgorod oblast) – 6 academic hours
  Topic: «Social Communications for Academic Leadership at the Regional Level».
  Introduction to the university's infrastructure, laboratories and innovative potential in response to regional labour market needs.

• N.A. Dobrolyubov Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
  Topics: «Leadership in Education: Effective Communications» and «The Regional Component in Continuous Specialisation».
  Workshop on strategies for socio‑cultural adaptation, a multilingual project‑based session, and a tour of research laboratories and global youth leadership hubs.

Cultural and leisure programme

ArtScience Immersion: the cultural, innovative and educational landscape of Russia's regional capitals

Participants explore the ethno‑cultural traditions and academic potential of three regions: Nizhny Novgorod oblast, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Republic of Mordovia.

Excursion routes

• Republic of Tatarstan – Innopolis (a step into the future), Kazan (where cultures meet)
• Republic of Mordovia – Saransk (a city of contrasts)
• Nizhny Novgorod oblast
  Nizhny Novgorod: sunset capital, Science Space 4.0, cultural capital of Russia, city of contrasts, the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers (river cruise), City of Labour Valour, centre of traditional Russian crafts.
  Plus Bolshoye Boldino – the birthplace of A.S. Pushkin (literary museum in the family estate).

Workshops and activities

• «Constellation of Ethnic Groups» – interactive introduction to the ethnographic landscape of the Nizhny Novgorod oblast
• «Secrets of Russian Masters» – weaving and ceramic pottery making
• «Folk Art» – making a traditional regional craft item
• «Project Work in Global Leadership, Intercultural Diplomacy and Cross‑Civilisational Communications» – techniques for engaging young people in international events

Hospitality Evenings «Hospitable Nizhny»

• Dinners with families of LUNN professors and staff, plus an immersive musical programme.

«Summer Institute 2026» (Obninsk Tech: Train‑the‑trainers)

Overview

Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University «LETI» was the first higher education institution in Europe to specialise in electrical engineering. Today, LETI has over 11,000 students, postgraduates and trainees. 29 of its educational programmes are recognised as the best in Russia, and 46 programmes hold international accreditation from the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).

LETI's research and innovation complex includes not only 350 laboratories but also a Technopark, 8 research and education centres, 5 research institutes, and 14 basic departments located at leading industrial partners. In 2021, LETI joined the Priority 2030 programme, and in 2023 it became part of the federal Advanced Engineering Schools project.

LETI is a key partner of the Obninsk Tech International Research and Education Centre for Nuclear and Related Technologies. Together with IATE MEPhI, Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), and the Rosatom Technical Academy, the university runs a programme that introduces foreign university professors to the technological and educational potential of the Centre.

About the project

The 2026 Summer Institute (Obninsk Tech: Train‑the‑trainers) introduces professors from foreign universities to the technological and educational potential of the partner universities and companies of the Obninsk Tech Centre. Participants enhance their qualifications in the field of cutting‑edge high‑tech products and exchange experience with colleagues from different countries.

The project brings together early‑career professors and researchers from partner universities in more than 10 countries. They are specialists in electronics, electrical engineering, photonics, automation, and nuclear technology.

Programme structure

The project includes two educational tracks:

• Electronics and Automation
• Nuclear Technology

plus a cultural programme in three Russian cities: Moscow, Obninsk, and Saint Petersburg.

Academic programme

Track 1. Electronics and Automation
This track is designed for professors working in electronic components, information and control systems based on microprocessors and microcontrollers, and related fields. The main goal is to exchange experience between scientific schools from different countries and deepen knowledge of modern technology and engineering education.

The programme covers power microelectronics, new‑generation microwave signal processing systems, advanced electrical engineering systems, automated control systems, and the specifics of engineering education. Special attention is given to modern approaches to quality control and integrating innovation into teaching.

Venues:

• IATE MEPhI (Obninsk) – 24 hours
• LETI (Saint Petersburg) – 24 hours

Track 2. Nuclear Technology
This track introduces participants to approaches for training specialists in reactor operations, thermal‑hydraulic and neutron‑physics calculations, safety and reliability of large and small nuclear power plants. Participants study severe accident processes at NPPs, as well as methods of dosimetric control at nuclear facilities. The programme includes lectures and practices led by experienced instructors.

Venues:

• LETI (Saint Petersburg) – 4 hours
• IATE MEPhI (Obninsk) – 14 hours
• Rosatom Technical Academy (Obninsk) – 8 hours
• Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) – 22 hours

Internship venues

• LETI (Saint Petersburg)
• IATE MEPhI (Obninsk)
• Rosatom Technical Academy (Obninsk)
• SPbPU (Saint Petersburg)

Cultural programme

Excursions

• Museum of the World's First Nuclear Power Plant (Obninsk)
• Ethnographic park‑museum «Ethnomir» (Obninsk)
• Atom Museum at VDNKh (Moscow)
• Bus sightseeing tour of Moscow
• Boat trip along the Neva River (Saint Petersburg)
• A.S. Popov Apartment Museum (Saint Petersburg)
• The Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg)

Workshops

• «Intercultural Communication in Business» (LETI)
  Key aspects of cross‑cultural communication for working in international teams and doing business with foreign partners.

• «Modelling NPP Operating Modes Using the VEB Software and Hardware Complex» (SPbPU)
  Practical application of the VEB complex for analysing, optimising and improving the safety of nuclear power plants.

• «Developing Modern Information and Control Systems Based on Microcontrollers» (IATE MEPhI)
  Practical introduction to approaches for building control systems in nuclear and other high‑tech industries.

• «Modelling Neutron‑Physics Processes in Nuclear Reactors» (IATE MEPhI)
  Modern methods for modelling processes in power and research reactors under different operating conditions.

MEPhI Hospitality Evening

• A warm and friendly gathering organised by MEPhI for international participants. It helps with adapting to a new cultural environment and building friendships with Russian colleagues.

Educational game «Sustainable Development Technologies» (LETI)

• An interactive format where participants learn the principles of sustainable development, try themselves as decision‑makers, and assess how different technologies affect the future of the planet. The game develops teamwork, systems thinking, and an understanding of the links between economy, society, and environment.

«TIU Summer Institute»
«Sustainable Development: Technology, Ecology, Safety»

About the project

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global roadmap – from tackling pollution and environmental threats to reducing inequality. Universities play a key role here. Through research, education, and community leadership, they can genuinely accelerate progress towards the SDGs at every level.

Tyumen Industrial University (TIU) has long-standing partnerships with leading companies and research centres in the region. The university introduces technologies to improve energy efficiency, promotes environmental awareness, conducts environmental impact assessments, and works on environmental education.

In 2026, TIU experts will cover the following topics during the Summer Institute:

• environmental safety and the impact of oil and gas technogenesis on the water systems of Western Siberia;
• sustainable development in the Arctic;
• renewable energy sources and new water treatment technologies.

The programme includes lectures, workshops (for example, on designing corporate social responsibility initiatives), and group sessions at the unique «Process Factory» – a hands-on learning space where participants take on roles from plant manager to shop floor worker and practise lean manufacturing tools.

Additional educational tracks are organised at TIU's partner universities in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, as well as at a major petrochemical plant – SIBUR in Tobolsk.

The cultural programme introduces participants to the history and traditions of Siberia and the Urals.

Who it is for

We invite early-career professors and researchers working on environmental issues, resource efficiency, nature conservation, and sustainability – those who are interested in Russia and open to collaboration.

Experts from industry, leading academics, and recent PhD graduates will take part in the project, making it easy to connect and build lasting professional relationships.

TIU is open to the world: we welcome participants from the CIS countries, East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Academic programme (internship track)

Modules and sessions

• Energy of the future: oil, gas, and ESG in Tyumen
  How Tyumen combines industry with sustainability, lean consumption, and environmental responsibility.
• Abandoned wells: environmental risks
  Causes of oil and gas leaks during well repair.
• Restoring oil‑contaminated land in Western Siberia
  The problem of oil spills, Russian experience in land remediation, and key challenges.
• The Process Factory
  An interactive game where participants take on roles from director to worker. The goal: run the most efficient process possible – save resources, increase profit, and reduce costs.
• Sustainable development in today's world
  A lecture on the triple bottom line concept, the SDGs, and the role of technology. Plus a case study to be solved both traditionally and innovatively, analysed against the three pillars of sustainability.
• The environmental potential of Western Siberia's underground hydrosphere
  How oil extraction affects deep aquifers, types of human impact, and changes in natural conditions at oil fields.
• Produced water disposal
  A lab session on calculating water injection parameters to dispose of high‑mineral waste while protecting the environment.

Internship programme (tracks with partner organisations)
Three tracks – 6 hours each – all focused on the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Sustainability Management
  Partner: State University of Management (Moscow)
• Managing the Energy Transition
  Partner: Ural Federal University (Yekaterinburg)
• Sustainability as the Foundation of a Large Company's Business Model
  Partner: SIBUR Holding, Tobolsk

Cultural and leisure programme

Excursions

• Tyumen – a walking tour of Dzerzhinsky Street and Revolution Fighters Square. A costumed welcome with a «historical character» and a merchant‑style tea party with a samovar, pastries, and sweets from the Tyumen Quartet factory.
• Tobolsk + Pokrovskoye and Abalak villages
  A visit to Rasputin's house museum, the Abalak Monastery, lunch at the White Owl tavern, and then a tour of the Tobolsk Kremlin: cathedrals, the bell tower, the Gostiny Dvor, Rentereya, the Governor's Palace, and more.
• Andreevsky Lake archaeological museum‑reserve
  An open‑air exhibition on Siberian peasant life, archaeological finds from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages, and a «Medieval Siberian Shooting Range» workshop.
• Yekaterinburg – a sightseeing tour of the historic centre: the city pond dam, the founders' monument, merchant mansions, Lenin Avenue, the Church on the Blood, and the Yekaterinburg‑City complex. A visit to the Vysotsky skyscraper viewing platform. Lunch at a local café.

Workshops

• Creative studios, cooking classes, Cossack martial arts – guests become active participants rather than passive listeners.

Hospitality Evening

• A trip to TIU's Olympia recreation centre, located in a pine forest just outside the city. Informal networking, cooking competitions, and an evening by the campfire – all in keeping with the best TIU traditions.