BelSU Rector Joins Prime Minister’s Strategy Session to Shape the Future of Engineering Education

Belgorod National Research University (BelSU) is set to play a central role in reshaping Russia’s engineering education, following a high-level strategy session chaired by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The session focused on aligning engineering training with the demands of national technological leadership.

“It’s crucial to understand exactly which specialists are needed, for which industries, and in which regions, so we can respond quickly to changes in the labour market,” Prime Minister Mishustin told participants.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko later outlined the practical steps already in motion. He stressed that engineering pathways must begin at school level, pointing to flagship programmes such as the “Youth and Children” national project, the “Priority 2030” university initiative, 50 advanced engineering schools, and 356 technical clusters under the “Professionality” project. A new model of university-based research and production associations was proposed, designed to create a seamless chain from research and design through to construction, testing, and small-scale manufacturing.

“Training such specialists is a vital link in delivering our national technological leadership projects — a goal set by our President Vladimir Putin,” Chernyshenko said.

For BelSU, the session marks more than a policy update. Writing on her personal channel, Rector Karlovskaya described the moment as foundational.

“For us, engineering thinking is the bedrock of training high-quality specialists – even in non-engineering fields. Combining education, science, practice, and the real economy lets us plan the future development of our region and the whole country.”

She confirmed that, after extensive internal work, BelSU has adopted a new Development Strategy geared explicitly to producing the engineering talent and research that technological leadership demands.

The Prime Minister’s meeting has now crystallised a common priority across all 38 designated institutions: tighter integration with employers, modernised curricula, and a pipeline of innovation-ready graduates capable of driving Russia’s industrial ambitions.