The 114-year history of the ITMO University continues in a new way. A leading Russian university in the field of information and photonic technologies, the only five-time champion of the student world programming championship ACM-ICPC, one of the national research universities in Russia, changes the brand on September 1. The academic year 2014/2015 begins with a new logo and slogan «It's More Than a University». This is an external reflection of global changes, occurring at the University, aimed at improving the international competitiveness.
In 2013 the ITMO University became a member of the "5 to 100" program to improve the competitiveness of Russian universities among the world's leading research and educational centers.
"Our growth strategy has necessitated the creation of a new brand for greater integration of the university into the global research and education community. Research, entrepreneurial and international - that is how we see ITMO University today, and these are the key areas of development in the coming years," said Vladimir Vasilyev, the rector of ITMO University. “We know how important the recognition of the university is, and how the rating by the international rating agencies is important for the reputation of the university. Strong well-known brand is what we strive for now, implementing our development strategy. The upcoming academic year means a lot to us, because on September 1, we begin to integrate the results of the re-branding into all areas of our business. Congratulating the students with a new academic year, I am pleased to congratulate them also with the changes that are taking place in the university!".
Complex process of changing the brand began at ITMO University in May 2014, and now the University has a new short name – ITMO University. The final brand book will be published on the official website of the University in October of this year. The period from September 1, 2014 to September 1, 2015 is designated as a transition, in which the university has to completely change the corporate identity.
"ITMO University is known worldwide for its programmers, so we can assume that the new logo of the University is encoded in a binary system its own name. Someone draws a parallel with the map of Russia, someone – with a cloud of knowledge, matrix or limit points; everyone sees something own in new logo. Choosing plain colors and shapes, we focused on the fact that our university will be associated with the technology, St. Petersburg and our country, and we believe that we have succeeded. After all, our transformation is not just a new logo, but also a reflection of the new stage of development, which allows us to say with confidence that ITMO University is more than a university!" said Anna Veklich, the assistant of the rector to the Public Relations.
According to Stephen Hagen, the vice-rector for change management, in the framework of the program "5 to 100" the ITMO University has global plans for comprehensive internationalization. According to the results of 2014 the University has established 49 international scientific divisions with leading international experts and more than 30 double degree programs for master’s degree students and postgraduates. All this contributes to intensive international integration of the university and increases its recognition on a global level.