On September 12, 2014, RIAC Director General Andrey Kortunov, Head of Political Science Department and Dean of Social Science Department Andrey Melville and RIAC Website Coordinator Tatiana Bagdasarova visited the campus of the Venice International University (VIU) on the island of San Servolo to discuss joint project "Globalization 2.0: New Approaches to Teaching and Research" that is intended to engage several Russian universities with RIAC corporate membership.
On September 12, 2014, RIAC Director General Andrey Kortunov, Head of Political Science Department and Dean of Social Science Department Andrey Melville and RIAC Website Coordinator Tatiana Bagdasarova visited the campus of the Venice International University (VIU) on the island of San Servolo to discuss joint project "Globalization 2.0: New Approaches to Teaching and Research" that is intended to engage several Russian universities with RIAC corporate membership.
The Italian side was represented by VIU Rector Ambassador Umberto Vattani, VIU Dean Agar Brugiavini, Director of School of Humanities and Social Sciences Luca Pes, Coordinator for International Relations of University of Padova Alessandro Martin and Assistant Pro-Rector of University of Padova Francisco Leita.
The participants concentrated on the review of the teaching and research practices, a RIAC priority in 2014-2015, having underlined that cooperation in the education area acquires special significance in the current international environment. Russia and Italy are facing similar global challenges to be handled with help of joint international projects. The Russian-Italian globalization project is meant to find innovative research paradigms, as well as to explain and forecast both positive and negative aspects of this process. At the same time, the work should assist understanding and opposing anti-globalist political movements, rightwing nationalist groups and anti-immigration sentiments.
Rector Vattani stressed that the VIU is known all over the world as an associative entity that unites representatives of 13 European and Asian universities, and specializes on research and teaching practices on the basis of multicultural and interdisciplinary approaches. The sides agreed that this feature should help implementation of the joint project on globalization problems that have been in the VIU focus during the past 20 years.
Dr. Kortunov pointed out that the project has been supported by the Russian Ministry for Education and Science and expressed satisfaction about its approval by the Italian Education Ministry.
The participants discussed and took decisions on the project's specific issues including target groups, exchanges of experience and preparation of a joint conference. In conclusion, the Russian delegation expressed gratitude to Rector Vattani and assurances about the project's success.
The Russian delegation also took part in the opening of the VIU academic year, the ceremony launched by Italy's Education Minister Stefania Giannini who emphasized the university's importance as an institution focused on internationalization and globalization.
