Ural Federal University Strengthens Collaborative Ties with Serbia
Prof. Dr. Sabina Halupka-Rešetar, Vice Rector for International Relations of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia), and Damjan Vakanjac, Student Vice Chancellor of the University of Novi Sad, met with Sergey Tushin, the Vice-Rector for International Relations of the Ural Federal University, and Evgenia Saburova, the head of the International Marketing and Communications Office.
The possible forms of cooperation – joint scientific publications, lectures by professors – both face-to-face and online, academic mobility, as well as cooperation between student self-governments were discussed at the meeting. Student self-government at the University of Novi Sad is highly developed. Each faculty (analogous to the institutes at the UrFU) of the university has its own student president. Damjan Vakanjac organized a separate meeting with students.
The parties also agreed to hold an online meeting between research and teaching staff to identify specific areas of scientific cooperation. The areas of common interest between the two universities are Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, Information Technology and Mechanical Engineering.
The next step is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, which will be the basis for interdepartmental agreements.
There was also a meeting with students of the university from different faculties, but mainly from the Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Faculty of Technology, and Faculty of Economics. Evgenia Saburova made a presentation about the university and its master’s programs, because the students are studying at the bachelor’s level and are very interested in education in other countries, especially in Russia. Students were very interested in programs related to Information Technology (IT Innovations in Business). There were questions about International Management. The students highly appreciated the programs presented in the presentation as well as the city of Ekaterinburg and expressed their desire to enroll or transfer to the Ural Federal University.
The first steps of cooperation with the University of Novi Sad were connected with the University International Sports Festival, in which 24 athletes from the University participated, competing in 4 sports: judo, rhythmic gymnastics, wrestling, sambo. They also won bronze medals in judo and sambo. Sergey Tushin invited the students to participate in the Summer University and the International Youth Festival, of which the UrFU is a regional platform.
The meeting of the universities was organized with the support of the Russian House in Belgrade.