Vladimir Vasilyev, the Rector of ITMO University, kicked off the meeting:

“Our university has evolved over these 125 years, but what remained the same is that now, as always, we are doing research at the frontier of science, technologies, product development, and professional training. These days, we are part of various national projects and we would have never been able to tackle it all alone. The university is open not only to its staff and students, but to graduates and partners who help us swiftly move towards our goals.”

ITMO is now transforming into a research, educational, and technological corporation, with one of its priorities in attracting talented applicants. In 2024, the average applicants’ Unified State Exam (USE) was 94.15 points, with the university also welcoming a record 673 contest winners. Moreover, ITMO is counting on young science, focusing on its Master’s and PhD programs which currently count over 8,500 students.

“ITMO is a talent-focused corporation. A lot of our efforts, time, and expertise goes towards attracting talented applicants and training them. Our industrial partners and graduates have the chance to work with the best of the best. We strive to collaborate with the industry, which is reflected in one of our values – openness. Thanks to it, we remain flexible and can quickly change, adapting to new work formats: for instance, we launch educational programs, develop scientific projects, and open research centers in collaboration with major companies,” said Daria Kozlova, ITMO’s Director for Strategic Development.  

Thanks to collaborations with industry leaders – Yandex, VK, Sberbank, Samolet, Gazprom Neft, YADRO, and others – ITMO can train globally competitive specialists who don’t require any time to adapt to their workplace. In collaboration with these companies, the university implements over 15 educational programs, as well as projects in four fields: AI and IT; quantum and photonic technologies; control systems for automated production facilities; and chemical and biochemical systems and materials.

“Many universities train good professionals, but that’s accomplished mainly against the odds rather than thanks to strategic decisions. ITMO is one of the universities where such specialists are the result of strategic decisions and we at Yandex truly rely on them. Nevertheless, no one apart from us knows for sure, what exactly the graduates need to learn and how. Fundamental research remains relevant for decades, while certain applied skills shift monthly, if not weekly. If Yandex and other industrial players don’t contribute to education, we will get graduates with an obsolete skill set. That’s why we launch joint educational programs with ITMO such as the first Russia’s AI Bachelor’s program AI360: ML Native and PhD program in AI,” shared Alexander Krainov, Yandex’s head for AI technologies development.

ITMO opportunities after graduation

Even once they graduate, former ITMO students stay in touch with the university. Some of them are involved in the many projects run by ITMO (all of them open to graduates), in fields ranging from art & science to AI and chemistry. Among other engagement formats are the opportunities to mentor students or develop projects.

Three existing initiatives were mentioned at the meeting:

ITMO Alumni Club. Here, alumni can find business partners or talented employees, become mentors, or join events. For instance, last year, club members toured and learned about employment opportunities at Fora-Bank, Sberbank’s Technohub, Data Center No 1, and Realweb. The club welcomes young specialists and experts, as well as experienced entrepreneurs and top managers who graduated from ITMO. Interested alumni can join the club by filling out a form here (in Russian).

“ITMO puts a lot of effort into creating a comfortable environment for its graduates. Our aim as a community is to create an ecosystem, where alumni will be able to comfortably interact with ITMO services and current students. Some might decide to start their own stipends, become a mentor, or teach without leaving their work. This way, more experienced specialists will come to ITMO to share what kind of competencies and skills are actually required on the market now. This approach bolsters our ties to the industry, potentially expanding our collaborations” said Mikhail Telegin, a member of ITMO Alumni Club and deputy director for strategic projects at OBIT.

Mentorship program by ITMO alumni. With this initiative, alumni can get the experience as mentors by sharing their professional knowledge with current ITMO students; students benefit from this by learning first-hand about the most relevant trends, skills, and opportunities in various fields – IT, business, marketing, food production, law, etc. Students attend consultations (a single one or a series; individual or group-based) with their mentors. In the program’s seven seasons, over 50 mentors conducted 750 consultations for about 500 students. Current students can look for mentors here (in Russian); aspiring mentors can apply here (in Russian).

Dobraya Stipendia (Kind Stipend). With this platform, graduates can start their own stipends with the minimal contribution being 10,000 rubles and the minimal stipend duration – three months. Those starting their stipends will be the ones to determine the criteria for applicants and make the final decision on who will be the recipient. Last year, 155 students contended for five available scholarships, with 8 of them securing the support. To start your own stipend, fill out the application form here (in Russian).