In late September, HSE University hosted a roundtable discussion titled Civil Society in African Countries and Youth Participation in Public Diplomacy. Representatives of non-governmental organisations from Ghana, Ethiopia, and Russia, along with students from HSE University’s Bachelor’s Programme in Public Administration, discussed how young people without official diplomatic status can influence relations between countries and how the nonprofit sector can remain sustainable amid declining grant funding.

Russian universities, with the participation of HSE University, Sber, and Z-union, have developed a neural network that can simultaneously assess the risk of 15 types of pathology from retinal photographs, including not only eye diseases but also cardiovascular conditions. The AI system can help clinicians detect potentially concerning changes at an early stage, identify signs reflecting the condition of retinal blood vessels, and determine whether a patient may need further examination. The paper has been published in <em>Frontiers in Medicine</em>.

The Fifth International Forum 'Creative Industries in UNESCO Cities' brought together hundreds of specialists from various countries and Russian regions. One of the event venues was HSE University–St Petersburg. Representatives of city government, filmmakers, artists, and international experts met with university professors to discuss the ways in which the creative economy has helped to develop tourism and what role young people have played in it.

Neural networks are no longer simple travel assistants; now they decide what to include on the route and what to skip. Artificial intelligence changes how people perceive a place and shapes the image of tourist centres. At the II International Scientific and Practical Conference ’Information Technologies in the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage’, researchers discussed who controls the algorithmic solutions and in what ways, and whether authentic traditions get lost in them.

Industrial automation is one of the key applications of artificial intelligence. A predictive analytics system for large electric motors is among the solutions being developed for the industry as part of HSE University’s Strategic Technological Project ‘Multi-Agent Platform of AI Solutions for Industry-Specific Tasks.’ What is predictive analytics, how can it improve the operation of electric motors, and what specialists joined forces to develop this technology? Anton Zarubin, Dean of the School of Computer Science, Physics, and Technology at HSE University–St Petersburg and the project development coordinator, explains in this interview with the HSE News Service.

How can tourism be developed in historic areas? How can the interests of residents, tourists, businesses, and local authorities be reconciled? And how can the specific context of a particular city be taken into account when developing project solutions? These were the questions explored at the Urbanist Summer School (USS), which brought together students from leading Russian universities for the fourth time.

On December 3–5, 2026, HSE University in Moscow will host ‘Comorbid Field 3.0: Social Well-Being, Health, and Medicine in Multiple Contexts,’ an interdisciplinary scientific conference with international participation organised by the Centre for Comparative Research on Social Well-Being at the HSE University Faculty of Social Sciences together with the HSE University–St Petersburg School of Arts and Humanities, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Health Research at the European University at St Petersburg, and Sechenov University. Applications for participation are open until October 4.

Researchers at HSE University employed a new method to model hypoxia in placental cells during pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and identified molecular markers of tissue hypoxia. Since hypoxia is one of the key mechanisms underlying preeclampsia, these findings are important for a more accurate and timely diagnosis of the disease and for the development of effective treatment methods. The paper has been published in <em>Placenta</em>.

The new unit will be responsible for the development of sports and physical education at the university

Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have presented RusLan-M, an open multimedia corpus that makes it possible to trace the development of early child speech in Russian from first words to the emergence of complex grammatical constructions. The database contains around 41 hours of video recordings and more than 35,000 child utterances. The new resource will help researchers study more precisely how children acquire Russian and, in the longer term, develop more reliable tools for assessing speech development. The study has been published in <em>Language Resources and Evaluation</em>.

The Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism at the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development, together with the Department of Urban and Regional Development at Brest State Pushkin University, held a summer school in Brest, Belarus. Over ten days, students from Russia and Belarus studied the Mukhavets River—one of the city’s main natural axes—and developed concepts for its integrated development.

On the first Saturday in September, Sevkabel Port will host HSE SPB Day. We invite all first-years, students, professors, university friends, citizens, and guests of the city to celebrate the start of the academic year at the Gulf of Finland. Attendees can look forward to more than 30 student clubs, a lecture zone, meetings with partners, an initiation ceremony, and lots of surprises—read on to find out more.

The International Laboratory for Social Integration Research (ILSIR) at HSE University studies the challenges faced by vulnerable groups and explores ways to help them participate fully in everyday life. To develop effective solutions, the laboratory’s researchers combine cutting-edge methods with practical fieldwork. In this interview with the HSE News Service, Laboratory Head Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova discusses the laboratory’s work.

HSE University and the Government of Perm Krai have signed a strategic partnership agreement. The document, signed by HSE University President Nikita Anisimov and Perm Krai Governor Dmitry Makhonin, defines new areas of collaboration in the creative economy, education, and human resources in Primakamye.

The HSE Centre for Studies of Civil Society and the Nonprofit Sector, together with the World Peoples Assembly, organised the roundtable ‘NGOs in African Countries. The Invisible Force of Change.’ The event took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the World Public Summit: Africa. Experts discussed the role of the non-profit sector in the development of African countries, as well as contemporary approaches to assessing its contribution to social development.

HSE University and Berdakh Karakalpak State University have signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen collaboration in research, education, and innovation. Through the expertise of its Сentre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions of the Carbon Measurement Supersites Programme, HSE University will work with colleagues from Uzbekistan to assess climate risks and evaluate opportunities for implementing nature-based climate projects in the region. The partners also plan to develop joint research and educational programmes.

Researchers at HSE University have examined how communication difficulties in children with autism are related to brain function. The findings show that not only language networks but also attention networks play an important role. The weaker the connections involved in maintaining focus and switching attention, the more pronounced communication difficulties were. The study has been published in <em>European Child &amp; Adolescent Psychiatry</em>.

Beyond technological solutions, the development of anthropomorphic robotics also demands ethical ones. In July 2026, the HSE Institute for Robotics Systems hosted a foresight session dedicated to developing an Ethical Standard for Anthropomorphic Robotic Complexes. Representatives from businesses, government bodies, scientific organisations, and universities gathered to discuss key ethical and legal issues surrounding the development of anthropomorphic robotic complexes. The main outcome of the meeting was a draft of the Ethical Standard.

Researchers from HSE University examined how the housing crisis in European countries is affecting young people’s perceptions of home ownership, freedom, and the future. As access to home ownership becomes more difficult, young people increasingly seek opportunities for self-realisation and recognition in digital environments, including game worlds and metaverses. The article has been published in Philosophies.

Board members with dedicated expertise in decarbonisation and a company’s systematic engagement with stakeholders on climate-related issues are the most effective corporate governance mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.