Annotation
ANNOTATION
Center for the Study and Preservation of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Central and Northern Asia
Relations between Russia and the countries of Central Asia in the field of education and science are characterized by a long historical legacy, common cultural ties, and mutual interests.
North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov initiated the creation of an international center, uniting the efforts of two leading universities in the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic to address the pressing issue of studying and preserving historical memory and historical and cultural heritage sites in a changing world. The Center's work is characterized by a systematic approach that encompasses both educational and scientific areas. At the same time, it addresses the need to train personnel necessary for scientific research and implement specific projects within the Center's scope.
The project's main focus is driven by the shared interests of the regional partners. In today's world, relations with other countries are increasingly being built not only at the national but also at the regional level. NEFU has a significant advantage: due to its historical development, the traditional culture of the Sakha people is the culture of the northernmost Turkic peoples of Eurasia. Through comparative studies based on unified principles of methodology for studying the common origins of historical and cultural heritage, it is possible to identify areas of interaction with the Central Asian republics.
In terms of science, they are closely linked to the updating of scientific knowledge, new approaches to the study of archaeological, ethnographic, and linguistic parallels between the traditional cultures of the Kyrgyz and Sakha (Yakuts), the preservation of their historical and cultural heritage, and also cover contemporary problems of the development of the studied ethnic groups in the context of cultural globalization and urbanization, when traditional cultural codes that shape ethnocultural identity are erased.
The educational component of the project is focused on international integration while preserving its best practices. Specifically, this involves the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the form of educational products (educational modules, online courses, continuing education programs, and networked OPEPs), as well as the implementation of international educational activities on a unified NEFU electronic platform covering common historical and genetic origins, tangible and intangible historical and cultural heritage sites, and traditional values of the pastoral cultures of Central and North Asia.
The relevance of the presented international project of NEFU - the creation of the Center for the Study and Preservation of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Central and North Asia on the basis of the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn (Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic) is based on the need:
— developing interuniversity international cooperation to address Russia's geopolitical challenges. This focus is rooted in the international activities of Russian universities in key areas with CIS countries in Central Asia through establishing direct scientific and educational dialogue and creating trusting relationships while fulfilling joint commitments. The goal of Russian universities, faculty, and scientists is to more effectively leverage the scientific and educational potential of foreign universities, their experience, and achievements in priority areas to ensure the innovative development of the national economy and Russia's scientific and technological sovereignty.
— the creation of professional research associations and the updating of theoretical and applied comparative social sciences and humanities research on Central Asia since the first quarter of the 20th century. The plan is to achieve a high level of scientific research, improve the quality, and increase the number of published scientific articles, which will impact NEFU's position in international rankings based on scientific publication criteria. The accumulated scientific experience and groundwork gained through field and theoretical research will enable the university to submit applications for new funding to both Russian and international grant competitions.
— improving the university education system by synchronizing ICT-enabled education with leading foreign universities while maintaining our own best teaching practices and educational process management experience (recruiting international students, academic exchange, joint educational program implementation, and the introduction of new educational technologies). We plan to create an international student community whose members are capable of achieving high professional recognition and public standing in their home countries, in order to relay the knowledge and values acquired with the assistance of the NEFU project.
The creation of the Center may have a significant impact on the indicators of the NEFU Development Program in the field of science and education - “increasing the share of foreign citizens and stateless persons studying in higher education programs in the total number of students in higher education programs” (P7 (c2), “increasing the volume of income from the implementation of additional professional programs and basic professional training programs per one academic staff member” (P3 (c2), “R&D volume per 1 academic staff member” (P1 (b).
In the long term, the implementation of the MC ensures the achievement of the indicators of the NEFU Development Program - P1 (b) "R&D volume per 1 academic staff member", P1 (c2) "Number of publications indexed in the WoS and Scopus databases over the past 3 full years, per 1 academic staff member".
The Center's implementation is aimed at achieving the NEFU development program's indicators in the following areas: education policy, research and development policy, innovation and commercialization policy, youth policy, and digital transformation policy.
The ultimate goal of the Center's activities is to create a new inter-university space for Eurasian scientific and educational integration through the synchronization of research and knowledge transfer based on shared values within the framework of international cooperation between universities of the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic. This new inter-university space will be created by combining and pooling the material, human, and scientific and educational resources of leading universities to train highly qualified specialists capable of addressing regional and global challenges within the "Eastern vector" of NEFU's international activities. Human capital development is a key element of socioeconomic development.
The purpose of the Center is to organize international cooperation in the fields of education and science, actively promote the establishment of inter-university contacts, implement joint projects, support youth initiatives, and attract the scientific and educational potential of universities, their experience, and achievements in the study of the historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of Central and North Asia to ensure mutually beneficial innovative scientific and technological development.
The Center's educational objectives include organizing and conducting recruiting and career guidance events for admission to the core professional educational programs of NEFU and KNU; providing high-quality training for young and highly qualified specialists through the integration of scientific and pedagogical potential (academic exchange) and the implementation of digital technologies; organizing academic exchanges among faculty members to establish targeted scientific and educational contacts; and participating in educational exhibitions held by the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo of the Russian Federation and other organizations.
In the field of science: holding international scientific events (forums, seminars, conferences, round tables, etc.); development and implementation of international scientific programs combining fundamental and applied scientific research, including the use of IT technologies; joint participation in educational and scientific grants; implementation of joint scientific projects and programs with partner universities, enterprises, and companies; implementation of the results of joint research work in the educational process under the implemented educational programs - in lecture courses, laboratory and term papers, in research and pre-graduation practices; implementation of the latest scientific research using IT technologies in the field of preservation of historical and cultural heritage monuments.
An important area of work will be organizing methodological and organizational support for the recruitment process for NEFU educational programs and promoting best Russian teaching practices in the educational space of Kyrgyzstan. A series of events are planned to popularize the Russian language, literature, and culture of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
The novelty of the planned results lies in updating scientific knowledge on the project's topic and developing new areas of fundamental research on the historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of North and Central Asia. A comprehensive historical and comparative analysis of the traditional cultures of genetically related ethnic groups will be conducted from a contemporary perspective, along with field research and historical and linguistic reconstructions. A new feature is the development and implementation of innovative forms of scientific and educational integration based on digital humanities technologies and linguistic and historical reconstruction.
The project's implementation will facilitate NEFU's integration into the international scientific and educational space of Eurasia and will help establish sustainable, long-term inter-university dialogue in the area of scientific research and the qualitatively new training of specialists with higher education.