Why do young researchers in China and Russia face fundamentally different challenges? What led the Celestial Empire to technological leadership, and Russia’s first engineering university to top positions in international educational rankings? Which scientific fields interest candidates of sciences in both countries today?
The answers to these and many other questions were presented at the International Scientific and Practical Dialogue “Step into Science,” held at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The key objective of the conference was a comparative analysis of Russian and Chinese approaches to the training of postgraduate students. The experiences of the Mining University and Taiyuan University of Technology served as the starting points for comparing these methods.
This is not merely an academic issue, but a foundation for shaping a new generation of researchers, engineers, and educators who will strengthen the ties between the two countries.
The question of training highly qualified engineering personnel becomes especially relevant in the context of the establishment—by presidential decree in February 2026—of the National Center for Personnel and Scientific Support of the Mineral Resources Complex 'Corps of Mining Engineers' on the basis of the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The university is tasked with coordinating the activities of domestic specialized universities in the development and implementation of educational programs for the advanced training of engineering, scientific-pedagogical, and scientific personnel for the mineral resource complex.
The topic is equally timely for China, where in March 2026 the program of the 15th Five-Year Plan was approved. According to this doctrine, one of the key priorities for 2026–2030 is a significant expansion of the country’s independent scientific and technological capacity and its innovation-driven development.
Although General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping criticizes the state’s excessive dependence on basic foreign technologies, in practice, the People’s Republic of China ranks first in the world in terms of the number of specialists engaged in research and development (R&D). For five consecutive years, the Celestial Empire has led globally in the number of registered patents—by June 2025, their total exceeded five million. Last year, national investment in R&D increased by 48% compared to 2020, while funding for fundamental research grew by more than 70%.
Alongside its focus on strengthening national technological sovereignty, the Five-Year Plan also reaffirms a commitment to openness: “We will continue to seek and share opportunities for common development with the whole world”.
The partnership between Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University and Taiyuan University of Technology aligns with this political agenda and has long gone beyond standard educational programs and academic exchanges. The universities study each other's experience in developing professional, scientific, and pedagogical competencies, and form effective scientific directions for joint work within well-coordinated teams.
A clear example of the establishment of bilateral research groups and their work is the two-month internship of two faculty members and nine postgraduate students from Saint Petersburg at Taiyuan University of Technology, which took place in spring 2025. The outcomes included scientific publications, the development of comprehensive strategies to address challenges in the mining industry, and the creation of a foundation for further research cooperation. A year later, during the International Dialogue “Step into Science,” the researchers met again and defined the next steps for project collaboration.
«Russia holds one of the leading positions in the world in terms of reserves and production of oil and gas resources. China, in turn, is the world’s largest consumer of hydrocarbons, which makes our shared research interests in the field of processing and application of oil and gas resources obvious. In the context of a complex international environment, we must strengthen scientific cooperation in this area. During our current visit to the Mining University, we held a number of meetings and agreed to continue cooperation on the topic of carbon dioxide capture and its transformation into high-value-added chemical products. We plan to submit an application to participate in the NSFC–RSF program—a joint competition of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) aimed at supporting international Russian–Chinese research teams», - said the head of the delegation, Professor and Deputy Dean of the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at Taiyuan University of Technology, Hao Wenmin.
Eighty young researchers from both sides took part in the conference, fostering numerous new and promising professional connections. The studies presented during the sectional sessions enabled the delegates to assess the range of fields that are currently relevant and strategically important for each country, and to identify areas of common interest. Among the scientific directions that attracted the largest number of presentations were “Technology of Solid Mineral Extraction,” “Industrial Safety and Occupational Health,” “Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Saving,” and “Civil Engineering and Architecture.”
«In China, research is largely focused on coal extraction and utilization, whereas the Russian side is concentrated on the development of oil fields. However, there is broad scope for cooperation in areas such as energy resource extraction, underground environmental protection, engineering prevention and control—fields in which both countries are engaged in with equal intensity. In particular, I am highly interested in issues of safety, dust and hazardous substance control, as well as emergency management in underground engineering during energy extraction. I hope to conduct joint research with scientists from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University on new safety technologies in the energy sector. At the conference, I met faculty members and postgraduate students, thereby laying the groundwork for long-term research cooperation, mutual academic visits, and the exchange of achievements. Russia is known for its rigorous approach to developing engineering thinking among students at technical universities, including the ability to analyze problems, find optimal solutions, and develop new technologies. I would like to learn more about this approach and integrate it into our own education system», - said Deng Huang, a postgraduate student at the Institute of Safety and Emergency Management at Taiyuan University of Technology.
In addition to the sectional sessions, participants of the International Dialogue took part in a thematic quiz held at the Mining Multifunctional Complex (MFC “Gorny”). In the format of a role-playing game, mixed teams composed of representatives from the Saint Petersburg and Taiyuan universities were able to demonstrate teamwork skills, conduct constructive negotiations, and solve non-standard tasks.
A particularly strong impression on TYUT postgraduate students was made by their visit to the Training and Research Facility “Sablino,” organized as part of their familiarization with the university’s capabilities. The young scientists noted the attention the Russian side pays to practical training, inquired about the possibility for international students to undergo training at the site, and acknowledged the significant financial resources the Mining University invests in its infrastructure.
«I was brought to Saint Petersburg by a scientific interest in the efficient development and use of mineral resources, particularly in deep geological exploration technologies and intelligent mining engineering. We have studied the Mining University’s achievements in Antarctica and its plans for the Timan–Pechora oil and gas province, related to metageology, deep and ultra-deep wells, and the application of advanced geophysical methods and drilling technologies. These areas have both cutting-edge and practical value, and given the accumulated experience of our universities, they provide a strong foundation for cooperation», - said Zhang Lemei, a postgraduate student at the Institute of Safety and Emergency Management at Taiyuan University of Technology.
Working negotiations and individual reports revealed the distinctive features of training highly qualified engineering personnel in China. The Saint Petersburg miners were able to familiarize themselves personally with the general principles of postgraduate studies during a two-month internship at TYUT in the spring of 2025.
Valentin Morenov, Associate Professor of the Department of Oil and Gas Field Development and Operation, and head of last year’s internship of Saint Petersburg researchers in Taiyuan, highlighted the fundamental differences:
«In Russia, the training of Candidates of Sciences rests on three pillars—science, pedagogy, and mentorship—whereas in China, scientific activity dominates by a wide margin. The other two aspects, which our postgraduate students focus on, are, in a sense, new to them. This difference is best explained through quantitative indicators. In the Celestial Empire, postgraduate studies last from four to six years, while in Russia they typically last three years. Within this period, both sides are required to meet similar benchmarks—research work, participation in conferences, publications, and dissertation defense. The difference is that at the Mining University, each postgraduate student spends approximately 250–300 hours per year on teaching activities. This approach requires our students to work more intensively and maintain a higher workload».
In other words, the postgraduate training system in China is primarily aimed at producing researchers, whereas in Russia it is focused on training qualified faculty for higher education.
«We think long-term and build an educational model that guarantees consistently high student quality. Even before graduation, employers form a queue for them. This allows us to rank highly in international university rankings year after year. Of course, Chinese universities also achieve strong results, ‘producing’ researchers for fundamental science and industry. They are focused on solving specific tasks coming from state and private enterprises, implemented through their own research centers and departmental laboratories. Dissertation topics correspond to current industry challenges, although for this very reason, they can sometimes be overly specialized or even fragmented», - concludes Valentin Morenov.
There are many nuances in the methodology of training highly qualified engineering personnel in each country—different structures, objectives, workloads, and conditions. However, there is a common principle everywhere: today, postgraduate education is a privilege that opens up new opportunities.