Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University and the China University of Geosciences, Beijing (CUGB) held an online seminar to identify areas for a joint scientific and educational agenda. A roadmap for cooperation is currently being prepared, following the agreement reached by the parties at their meeting in Saint Petersburg in December of last year.
The seminar was led by Wu Xiong, Vice President of CUGB, and Evgeniy Lyubin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The Chinese colleagues presented reports by the heads of CUGB’s leading institutes. Among the speakers was Qiu Kunfeng, Director of one of the university’s oldest and most successful divisions—the Institute of Earth Sciences and Resources. In addition to a broad range of geological sciences, the seminar also featured presentations on research in information technologies for subsoil use, projects in energy, materials science, polar scientific drilling, and engineering solutions in the broadest sense.
On the Saint Petersburg side, presentations were delivered by representatives of the Faculties of Mining, Geological Exploration, Oil and Gas, and Civil Engineering, as well as by the Arctic Research Center and the Center for the Problems of Processing Mineral and Technogenic Resources. Separate reports were also given on digital solutions in the field of mining safety and on practice-oriented training for exploration geologists. The Mining University’s systematic approach to reinforcing theoretical knowledge through practical application had already attracted the interest of the Chinese colleagues during the previous meeting in December.
As a result of the seminar, the key areas of scientific cooperation were identified as deep drilling and geological research in Antarctica. For both countries, these projects are unconditional priorities. CUGB is included in the pool of Chinese universities and research organizations participating in the national megaproject “Deep Earth.” As is well known, on the basis of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, the National Center for Personnel and Scientific Support of the Mineral Resources Complex “Corps of Mining Engineers” has been established by presidential decree to serve as the coordinator for the educational and scientific activities of universities within the mineral resource complex.
The cooperation roadmap will also include projects for faculty and postgraduate exchange, Summer Schools for students, and participation in the joint grant program of the Russian Science Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The China University of Geosciences, Beijing, was founded in 1952, during the peak of Soviet–Chinese friendship. With the assistance of specialists from our country, industrialization in the PRC accelerated sharply at that time. By 1951, the average annual growth rate of industrial production had reached 34.5%. This created an urgent need to intensify efforts to supply the expanding economy with raw materials.
Today, the effectiveness of the mineral resources complex remains of paramount importance for both Russia and China. Cooperation with the China University of Geosciences, Beijing, is part of the systematic effort of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University to strengthen ties with Chinese universities. Joint research projects are already being implemented, in particular with Taiyuan University of Technology and the China University of Petroleum (UPC) in Qingdao.
