News in Press-centre

Far East Federal University (FEFU) has taken the initiative to establish the Arctic hub in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). The proposal to open the new area for joint projects was made at the annual meeting of the APRU universities' vice presidents in Nanjing University (China), where FEFU was represented by Kirill Golokhvast, the Vice President for Research. 

According to the FEFU Vice President, now the APRU has formed hubs on four topical profiles:    digital economy, global health, natural hazards, and the aging of the population. The fifth area of focus is the Arctic, as the topic has become increasingly popular in recent years in the research of APRU member universities. The FEFU initiative was supported by the National University of Singapore and the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

“The Arctic hub should be headed exactly by Far Eastern Federal University. In APRU, we have absolute authority on the subject of the Arctic, both in engineering and in the humanities,” said Kirill Golokhvast. “Today this trend is developing in many non-Arctic countries. For example, Singapore is interested in this region as an alternative sea route and a source of resources, and for New Zealand it is an opportunity to use Arctic research for Antarctic exploration.”

According to the Vice President, the creation of the Arctic hub offers new opportunities for cooperation among APRU universities. These include the launching of joint research projects and educational programs, the holding of thematic schools for students and young scientists, and the organization of expeditions to the Arctic.

Far East Federal University is one of the leaders in Arctic research. The FEFU School of Engineering successfully operates the Arctic Center, which, on the order of its partners, provides scientific support for new projects on the shelf of the Arctic seas. The FEFU School of Law and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (PRC) have established a joint institute where they study the use of international maritime law in relation to the Arctic and the seas of the northeast coast of Asia.

Association of Pacific Rim Universities was founded in 1997, and the Far Eastern State University (now FEFU) became one of its founders. Today APRU unites 45 leading universities from Australia, Indonesia, Canada, China, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, USA, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Chile, and Japan. FEFU is the only representative of Russia in APRU.