The forum will be attended by ministers and rectors of the leading institutions of the BRICS countries, representatives of international organizations and heads of research centers.
This is the first time that an educational BRICS forum will bring together so many universities: 33 delegates from 18 Brazilian universities, 33 delegates from 17 Indian universities, 26 delegates from 13 Chinese institutions of higher education and 25 delegates from eight South African universities. As the host, Russia is represented by 69 universities.
It is no coincidence that the summit contains the word "global" in its name. In today's interconnected world, higher education cannot develop in isolation. The summit will be attended by representatives of not only the BRICS countries, but other countries of Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America as well.
A gala evening at the Bolshoi Theatre will take place in the run-up to the summit on 26 October, during which a report on education in the BRICS countries, the creation of the University Network and the political role of BRICS in the world will be presented by MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov, Deputy Minister of Education Alexander Klimov and Vice-Rector of the Urals Federal University Maxim Khomyakov.
The second day of the forum will open with a special session of the Russian International Studies Association, which will be attended by MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov, Deputy Foreign Minister and Russian BRICS Sherpa Sergei Ryabkov and President of the Russian International Affairs Council Igor Ivanov. The participants will discuss prospects of BRICS as a component of global governance.
The second day's panels will focus on issues such as university rankings, the knowledge economy, the development of the BRICS Network University and business training.
Around 400 representatives of academic and expert communities of the BRICS countries are expected to attend the summit.
In addition to education, the participants will discuss the issues on the Russian presidency’s general agenda, such as mutual trade and investment, finance, the outlook for the New Development Bank, terrorism, non-proliferation, innovation, IT, space exploration and medicine.
The BRICS Global University Summit is an event that stands out among other activities of Russia's BRICS Presidency, and could become a landmark event in the academic life of the BRICS countries. Most delegations are headed by rectors and vice-rectors, which offers BRICS universities the chance to establish scientific cooperation and academic exchanges.
The BRICS Global University Summit will be one of the official events of Russia’s BRICS Presidency in 2015. It will be an important event for the academic community, and will give a fresh impetus to international university cooperation programs.
