HSE and Sultan Qaboos University: Expanding Academic and Research Partnership
In May 2026, a delegation from Sultan Qaboos University (Oman) made an official visit to HSE University. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss new forms of cooperation and partnership and to identify areas of mutual interest. Representatives of HSE’s Moscow, St Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod campuses spoke about their shared interest in expanding joint projects, primarily in the field of artificial intelligence—a strategic development priority for both universities.
Alexandra Skripchenko, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Mathematics, and Amer Al-Hinai, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Sultan Qaboos University, noted that the priority is the comprehensive development and strengthening of the partnership established in 2025 through the cooperation agreement between the two universities.
Representatives of the universities proposed expanding student exchange opportunities, discussed the launch of double degree programmes, and suggested initiating joint conferences and research projects in the exact, engineering, and natural sciences more broadly.
‘We train professional mathematicians, researchers in the field of artificial intelligence, and other computer science specialists. For this reason, we would be very pleased to cooperate in all of these areas,’ noted Alexandra Skripchenko, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Mathematics.
The Omani delegation placed particular emphasis on developing cooperation in innovation and start-ups between HSE University and Sultan Qaboos University, proposing a joint grant application and the future establishment of a mirror laboratory.
‘Today, Sultan Qaboos University is actively investing in the field of artificial intelligence, so we are pleased to initiate joint research projects with results that can be directly applied to the industry,’ emphasised Adil Al-Busaidi, Director of the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at Sultan Qaboos University.
Oleg Karasev, Director for Research Projects at HSE University, also expressed his support for joint start-up initiatives: ‘We see enormous potential for the development and promotion of advanced projects both in the field of fundamental sciences and in technology-oriented areas, particularly microelectronics and computer science.’
The parties also exchanged invitations to participate in international academic conferences: representatives of HSE University were invited to ‘International Conference on the Civilizational and Developmental Dimensions of Omani-Russian Relations: Promising Prospects,’ which will take place in November 2026 in Muscat, the capital of Oman, while researchers from Sultan Qaboos University were invited to the ‘Machine Learning and Nonlinear Dynamics’ conference, to be held on September 23–26, 2026, at HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod.
The Middle East is a region of priority for HSE University, which enjoys strong ties of friendship with a number of Arab partners. This is further demonstrated by the successful launch in 2025 of the HSE University representative office in the Middle East, located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, through which the university is actively expanding partnerships with countries across the region, and with Oman in particular (see more information in Russian here). In recent years, the university has grown especially close to its Middle Eastern partners, identifying new areas of common ground for both friendly and partnership relations through the work of the representative office.
‘Russia and Oman, followed by HSE University and its Omani partners, are building a strategic partnership. Our countries share the same values in their approaches to technological and innovation development, and it is already clear that our national interests coincide,’ noted Andrian Vlakhov, Director of the International Partnerships Centre at the HSE International Cooperation Office.
Meeting Participants
See also:
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