Education in the world: a branch of a Russian university may be opened in Serbia

A branch of one of the largest Russian universities should be opened in Serbia, the republic's ambassador to the Russian Federation, Momcilo Babic, told Izvestia. Experts confirm that Russian education is in demand among Serbian students. Moscow and Belgrade are planning to hold the first Forum of Rectors of Russian and Serbian higher education institutions, as well as the creation of an association of universities, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation told Izvestia. Currently, 297 Serbian citizens study in Russia, and about 270 agreements are in force between the universities of the two countries. Which university branch could be opened in Belgrade and which Russian universities do Serbs study at — in the Izvestia article.

How many Serbs study in Russia and Russians in Serbia

A branch of one of the largest Russian universities should be opened in Serbia, Serbian Ambassador to Russia Momcilo Babic told Izvestia.

— It is necessary to build a Russian university in Belgrade so that Serbs can learn Russian. Then there will be more opportunities to get a good Russian education," Babich told Izvestia.

Against this background, the authorities of Russia and Serbia are planning to hold the first Forum of Rectors of Russian and Serbian Higher Education Institutions, and are also considering the possibility of creating a Russian-Serbian Association of Universities. This was stated to Izvestia by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

— In order to further develop Russian-Serbian cooperation, in addition to the creation of the aforementioned Russian-Serbian working groups on cooperation in the field of science and higher education, within the framework of the committee (intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical cooperation. It is planned to consider the possibility of organizing competitions for joint research projects with Serbia," the ministry noted.

At the same time, according to data at the end of 2024, 297 citizens of the Republic of Serbia are studying in Russia, their number has decreased by 15 people compared to 2023. Most of the students — 25 people — study at Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky. The top three also include the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and the Higher School of Economics.

Russia and Serbia have potential for educational cooperation, but so far its level is insufficient, the governments of the two countries need to make more efforts to deepen it. It is advisable to do this through the creation of special bilateral commissions and working groups that would deal with the detailed development of joint student projects, exchanges and a roadmap for cooperation in this area in general, RIAC program manager Milan Lazovich told Izvestia.

— If we talk specifically about large Russian universities with a distant prospect of opening branches in Serbia, then these could probably be Lomonosov Moscow State University, MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, St. Petersburg State University. But this requires serious consideration of these initiatives from both sides," the expert noted.

Currently, most branches of Russian universities are located in the CIS countries, in particular in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The establishment of branches of universities subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is planned in Egypt, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Myanmar, and Saudi Arabia, according to the agency's website.

Previously, Lomonosov Moscow State University had the only European branch in Slovenia, in the city of Koper. However, at the initiative of Ljubljana, it was closed in 2024. Some Russian universities have representative offices in European countries. For example, the largest private university, Synergy, opened its own representative office in Serbia in 2021. St. Petersburg State University also has representative offices in a number of EU countries — in Greece, Spain and Italy. Therefore, if a branch is opened in Serbia, it will become the only such institution in Europe.

Russian universities are already actively cooperating with Serbian universities. Thus, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation has issued positive opinions to Russian universities on 271 cooperation agreements with Serbian organizations. For example, Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University has signed 19 documents with partners from the Balkan Republic.

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The deepening of humanitarian cooperation between the two countries is also facilitated by numerous academic and student exchange programs, language internships aimed at studying the national languages, history and culture of Russia and Serbia. In the 2023/24 academic year, 362 Russians studied Serbian in 14 Russian higher education institutions.

Russian students in Serbia are warmly welcomed, creating all conditions for fruitful studies. This was told to Izvestia by Daria Guskova, a third-year student at the MGIMO Faculty of International Relations, who studied at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade as part of the Outgoing MGIMO exchange program.

— There is an opportunity to study Serbian at the University of Belgrade. Thanks to the courses, in three months I was able to master the conversational level and began to easily understand Serbian," the student said.

Moscow and Belgrade are developing cooperation in the field of education and science

The Presidents of Russia and Serbia have repeatedly stressed the special nature of the humanitarian ties between the two countries. Vladimir Putin and Alexander Vucic met during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. The Serbian leader arrived in Moscow to celebrate the anniversary, despite threats from the EU.

At the same time, Russia and Serbia have been developing cooperation in the field of education and science for a long time. Back in 1995, Moscow and Belgrade signed an agreement on cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science and sports. In 2011, the countries agreed on scientific and technical cooperation. And in 2013, we signed an agreement on mutual recognition and equivalence of educational documents and academic degrees.

Currently, 23 Russian organizations in the scientific field, together with 16 educational and scientific institutions located in Serbia, are implementing 32 bilateral projects. About 35% of research projects are carried out by the Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy, the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Innopolis University, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science emphasized.

Russian and Serbian scientists have a wide field to work in. For about 30 years, Serbian scientific organizations have been conducting joint research with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Moscow region. The Institute of Linguistic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Scientific Breeding and Technology Center for Horticulture and Nursery are implementing research projects in the fields of linguistics and fruit plant breeding together with Serbian partners.

— Overall, the dynamics are positive. Russian education is in demand among Serbian youth. Just like Russian students, they go to Serbian educational institutions for exchange. In general, this mechanism is well established. But it is important to win competition with other players — Western countries, China," said Milan Lazovich.

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The development of educational and scientific ties between the two countries is facilitated not only by cultural and historical proximity, but also by visa-free travel and direct flights.

On the other hand, Serbia is under pressure from the European Union, which demands that Belgrade sever ties with Moscow. After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the EU itself effectively froze scientific and educational ties with the Russian Federation, and a number of countries terminated bilateral agreements in the field of education. This affected not only students, but also world science, such as the ESA and Roscosmos ExoMars Mars exploration project.

Instead of politicizing science, education, and culture, Belgrade continues to develop ties with Russia. This is necessary so that Serbia does not become exclusively dependent on the EU. For Moscow, the opening of a branch of one of the largest universities will serve as an example of using "soft power" to influence Serbian elites and people, as well as preserve the historical friendship between the two countries.