On October 3, 2025, at APAG Headquarters in Ha Noi, the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG) held a meeting with the delegation from Saint Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (SPbSUT). The working session focused on sharing experiences in training and professional development, as well as discussing the possibility of establishing cooperative relations in the fields of education, training, and research.
At the meeting.Meeting participants included Mr. Ruslan V. Kirichek, Rector of SPbSUT; Mr. Rabin Aleksey, Vice Rector of SPbSUT; Mr. Dmitrii Kuzmin, Vice Chairman of the Saint Petersburg Committee on Information and Communications; Mr. Smeshko Oleg Grigoryevich, Rector of Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics; Ms. Anastasia Ivanova, Department of Information and International Cooperation; Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Viet Nam-Russia Cooperation Development Promotion Fund “Tradition and Friendship”; Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, Vice President of APAG; representatives of the Department of Science Management and International Cooperation, and the Faculty of Archival and Office Administration.
Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, Vice President of APAG.
At the working session, Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, Vice President of APAG, extended a warm welcome to Mr. Ruslan V. Kirichek, Rector of SPbSUT and the members of the delegation visiting and working in Viet Nam.
He introduced APAG and its training programmes and international cooperation activities. APAG is an institution under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.
He emphasised APAG’s new mission as a higher education institution under the Party school system, continuing to carry out one of its key functions and tasks: international cooperation, policy advisory, and providing public services in public administration, state management, and public governance. One of APAG’s key orientations in the coming period is to focus on cooperation in international joint training programmes, faculty and student exchanges, and the implementation of joint research projects.
Currently, APAG offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in various disciplines, with strengths in public management and public policy, and organizes short-term professional development courses for public officials nationwide.
He expressed the desire for the delegation to share potential areas of bilateral cooperation and future collaboration plans between the two sides.
Mr. Ruslan V. Kirichek, Rector of SPbSUT.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Ruslan V. Kirichek, Rector of SPbSUT, expressed his honor at the warm welcome from APAG and introduced his institution. Saint Petersburg State University of Telecommunications named after Professor M.A. Bonch-Bruevich (SPbSUT) is the oldest university in the Russian Federation and a recognized leader in training experts for the communications and telecommunications industry. The university has a 90-year history since its establishment. As an innovation development center, primarily in the field of digital technology, SPbSUT brings together research institutes, companies, and enterprises in high-tech sectors of the economy, focusing on breakthrough research in next-generation communication networks and training experts to meet not only current but also future needs. Providing highly qualified human resources for the telecommunications industry is of strategic importance and a key mission. In fulfilling its mission, the staff and faculty of SPbSUT strive to put plans and ideas into practice to achieve the goal of building a modern scientific and educational center to train highly qualified experts for the telecommunications industry.
Mr. Ruslan stated that at present, managers not only need strong management and governance skills but also must possess knowledge of technology and engineering. He proposed signing a memorandum of understanding on student and faculty exchanges between the two institutions. Some of the university’s strengths for cooperation include Information Security, Artificial Intelligence, and Automated Robotics.
Mr. Dmitrii Kuzmin, Vice Chairman of the Saint Petersburg Committee on Information and Communications.
Mr. Dmitrii Kuzmin, Vice Chairman of the Saint Petersburg Committee on Information and Communications, introduced the Committee’s role in supporting the government in providing optimal public service systems to citizens. Currently, the city has a monitoring center that receives millions of calls and processes information quickly thanks to an intelligent camera system and loudspeakers across all city areas. This monitoring center is part of the Smart City program being implemented in Saint Petersburg. Digital solutions bring new opportunities and make life more convenient: public services are provided online, and the Internet has reached even the most remote regions of the country. This task falls under the national project “Data Economy and State Digital Transformation.” The goal of this national project is to promote digital transformation in state and local governance, the economy, and the social sector through: ensuring cybersecurity; providing stable, uninterrupted internet access; training high-quality human resources for the IT sector; developing digital government; developing domestic digital platforms and software; and promoting research and development of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence.
Mr. Smeshko Oleg Grigoryevich, Rector of Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics.
At the working session, Mr. Smeshko Oleg Grigoryevich, Rector of Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics, shared information about the University. Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics is the largest non-public university in the Northwestern region of the Russian Federation, operating under the scientific and methodological guidance of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
It implements over 90 educational programs of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate studies in the following areas: economics, management, public administration, information technologies, law, advertising and PR, marketing, linguistics, hotel business and tourism, personnel management, psychology and pedagogy, modern clerical work, publishing, and many others.
The university has introduced an effective system of life-long learning education under the programs of college, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and additional education.
Currently, more than 12,000 students from all regions of the Russian Federation and many other countries are studying at the university. It is one of the first institutions in Saint Petersburg to apply modern distance and online training technologies. The university cooperates closely with businesses and organizations in Saint Petersburg and across Russia, providing students with opportunities for internships and employment after graduation. It collaborates with many leading universities around the world, implements international double-degree programs and academic exchange programs (semester internships at prestigious universities). The university publishes scientific journals “Economics and Management”, “Sociology and Law” (included in the VAK list of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation), and “Scientific Notes of SPbUTUiE”.
Scientific articles of graduate students and lecturers of the university are indexed in the international scientific metrics databases Scopus, Web of Science, and RSCI.
Meeting participants.