The outgoing 2014 was full of important events.

Scientific studies that are held at the ITMO University are becoming more global. The interaction with foreign universities, laboratories and scientists is a priority. In addition to some fundamental research, which the University has always been famous for, the young and promising sciences are developing. But we've not forgotten about the importance of applied research, which is aimed at solving the problems of the modern humanity. Some 49 international laboratories of the ITMO University have been created to cover as many areas of science as it is possible. In December, their staff faced a panel of experts to report on their activities and the majority of the labs passed the test. The laboratories' staff increased the publication activity, achieved some co-financing, enlisted the support of the foreign colleagues.

The ITMO University staff has visited many countries and become partners with worlds' leading universities. Among them are the universities of Mexico, Brazil, Italy, China, Korea, Vietnam and many other countries. The representative office of ITMO University opened in November in the very heart of the European Union - in Brussels. It is an unprecedented event for the Russian higher education. ITMO goes global!

ITMO University is proud of its status of a business university. After all, it prepares the highly skilled professionals, who are engaged not only in sciences, but also in promoting their developments on the market. New teams appear every year in the University Business Incubator. Many of them have already made significant progress. For example, the Kudinov brothers won the startup competition GenerationS with their project in the field of logistics – VeeRoute. Arthur Gleym, the director of LLC "Quantum communication" won the first international competition for photonics and is already attracting investments for his project. The successes of students and graduates have hard work of teachers and scholars behind them.

ITMO University takes a step into the New Year being renewed and modern. The new slogan: IT’s MOre than а University, - reflected the present and the future of the St. Petersburg university.
 
At the end of 2014 the Council for international recruitment was created. Now that the ITMO University began to actively promote its brand, the experts from leading recruitment agencies will help the University to attract new staff. In order to improve the general level of knowing of the foreign language and overcome some language barriers, free English language courses (English for Academics) were organized for professors and lecturers of the University. 
 
Perhaps the most important achievement is that all these ongoing changes found enthusiastic response from all those who study and work at the ITMO University. All of them are involved in the process of solving problems which the university faces. Students demonstrate commitment to the University goals as well. The third time, the ITMO University Student Council received a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science. A grant of 25 million rubles will be spent on the implementation of the program of activities, which students have developed for 2015. There are many events of federal significance among them.
 
In 2014, under the leadership of the rector Vladimir Vasilyev, who was elected as the head of the Council of rectors of St. Petersburg for the third time, ITMO University has done a lot. One example of this is improving of the position of 414 points of the University in the Webometrics ranking. Now the university' portal occupies the 985th place among the world's educational centers and 50th among the best educational institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. The development of the University were also noticed by the compilers of the «QS University Rankings: Developing Europe and Central Asia" ranking, by the results of which the ITMO University entered the top hundred.

The year 2015 for scientists around the world, and for the ITMO University in particular, is primarily the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. But no less important event expects the university in May: in Marrakech (Morocco) will be the final of the world championship on programming ACM ICPC, where we will be competing to become the six-time winner.

There's still lots to achieve.But there is no doubt that every victory is the result of painstaking work of staff and students of the university, its friends and partners.
 
Happy Holidays! Happy 2015!
 
New Year's greetings from Vladimir Vasiliev, the rector of the ITMO University.