
'Today, Human Existence Without Mathematics Is Difficult; Tomorrow, It Will Be Simply Impossible'
Mathematicians around the world share a common language and continue to collaborate despite the challenges of recent years. The hub of mathematical networking has been shifting to China, where scientists from various countries meet at conferences and other academic events. Partnerships with leading Chinese universities offer promising opportunities to strengthen existing ties and forge new ones. In this interview with the HSE News Service, Valery Gritsenko, Head of the HSE International Laboratory for Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms, discusses this and other topics, including what AI is and why the state should engage with mathematicians.

‘Student Ideas Shed Light on Key Challenges for Urban Development’
The first international joint summer school of the Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism (GSU) at both the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development and Brest State Pushkin University (BrSU), hosted by BrSU, has come to a close. The programme focused on studying buffer zones along the railway lines encircling the city centre. Participants included students from the GSU’s Urban Planning degree programme, as well as students from BrSU and Brest State Technical University.

Delegation of Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency Visits HSE University
Representatives of HSE University and Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA) held a meeting to discuss opportunities for cooperation in creative education and cultural exchange. The event took place at HSE University’s Art and Design School, with the support of the Royal Thai Embassy in Russia.

HSE University to Host BRICS International School: New Generation
Registration for the BRICS International School: New Generation, one of the leading international educational projects aimed at prospective leaders interested in the agenda of global development and cooperation within the framework of BRICS, has opened.

HSE University Strengthens Ties with Peking University
On July 21, 2025, representatives from Peking University led by Zhang Jin, Vice President of Peking University and Chancellor of Shenzhen Graduate School, paid a visit to HSE University. The delegation included forty students, teachers, and administrators. During their visit, leaders from both universities discussed potential areas for future collaboration, and representatives from three HSE University departments held meetings with Chinese students.

HSE University Brings Together Researchers at International AI Summer Institute in Shanghai
In early July 2025, the International Summer Institute on Artificial Intelligence in Education took place in Shanghai. It was organised by the HSE Institute of Education in cooperation with East China Normal University (ECNU). More than 50 early-career researchers and keynote speakers from nine countries—ranging from Russia and China to Canada and Singapore—gathered to share the latest findings from their work and to forge new international partnerships.

Experts Assess How BRICS Countries’ Education Systems Are Evolving
The BRICS Expert Council–Russia, based at HSE University and operating in collaboration with the HSE Institute of Education, has released an analytical report titled ‘The Transformation of General Education in BRICS Countries.’ The study explores how BRICS nations are addressing shared challenges, including equitable access to schooling, digital integration, support for inclusion, linguistic diversity, and intercultural dialogue.

HSE University Strengthens Ties with Central Asia
Experts from the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development (FURD) took part in the international forum ‘The SCO in the Era of Digital Diplomacy: Scientific Initiatives for Global Balance.’ The event, held in Astana, was organised by the Eurasian Association for International Studies and the Institute for the Study of Regional Integration (Kazakhstan).

Scientists Develop AI Tool for Designing Novel Materials
An international team of scientists, including researchers from HSE University, has developed a new generative model called the Wyckoff Transformer (WyFormer) for creating symmetrical crystal structures. The neural network will make it possible to design materials with specified properties for use in semiconductors, solar panels, medical devices, and other high-tech applications. The scientists will present their work at ICML, a leading international conference on machine learning, on July 15 in Vancouver. A preprint of the paper is available on arxiv.org, with the code and data released under an open-source license.

HSE Takes Part in BRICS Summit
On July 6–7, 2025, the 17th BRICS Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro. For the first time in the organisation’s history, representatives of civil society from BRICS countries participated. HSE Vice Rector, Head of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, and Co-Chair of the Russian Chapter the BRICS Civil Forum Victoria Panova attended the meeting of the bloc’s national leaders.

