News in Press-centre

A well-known Swedish philanthropist, Honorary Consul General of the Russian Federation in Lausanne (Switzerland), Frederick Paulsen signed an agreement to make a targeted donation amounting to USD 70,000 on the development of the Asia-Pacific Studies Center.

Information: Frederick Doug Arfst Paulsen is the Chairman of the Board of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a company that specializes in biotechnological research and the creation of innovative pharmaceuticals. He is also known as a major philanthropist. In Russia Frederick Paulsen helps and provides financial support for projects related to the treatment of infertility, as well as for educational and social organizations.

Frederick Paulsen visited FEFU for the first time in November last year. During the visit, he managed to meet with the university executives and students and to take part in the Conference on Migration Processes in the Asia-Pacific Region (he also co-organized and sponsored this conference).

Frederick Paulsen First Visit to FEFU. November, 2015.

"During his visit Mr. Paulsen noted that all the political, economic and other acute problems that arise today in different parts of the world, in one way or another are connected with migration and demographics. He is extremely interested in such studies," said Natalia Ryzhova, the Director of CAPS.

The full name of the project is the Mapping and Explanation of Demographic Development of Siberia for 150 Years. Financial donation will be spent both on the process of creating a database and digitizing materials. There will also be information about the economic development of the regions under study. The perimeter of the first phase of the project will cover the south of the Far East: Amur Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, and Primorsky Krai.

"I believe that the results of the work may be sought for in the future," commented Natalia Ryzhova. "For studies of China, for example, I use a database of the University of Michigan. There is no digitized data over a long period of time on Siberia and the Far East so far, and by making such information available we shall substantially raise the status of FEFU among the leading universities in Russia and the world." 

"The partnership with Frederick Paulsen is important for us also from a strategic perspective," said Igor Osipov, Advisor to FEFU President on Priority Projects. "We have been negotiating for a long time, and this is the first sign of a real joint project. Simultaneously with the CAPS field research support, made via the University Fundraising Center, we are engaged in an active dialogue on partnership project in the field of biomedicine, discussing participation in sea expeditions in South America, exploring possible topics in the studies of Eastern Arctic. We hope that the first step taken in CAPS direction will help us in the future to proceed to the new format of cooperation with foreign corporations and such well-known researchers like Mr. Paulsen."

Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) was opened in October 2015 within the framework of the FEFU Development Program and Competitiveness Enhancement Program (5top100 Project).