Go East Generations

On March 25, 2017, a symposium of the so-called “Go East” generations took place in Berlin. At the event, former graduates of Soviet and Russian universities met with representatives of German and Russian universities, industry partners, and other organizations supporting student studies (e.g., the DAAD) to discuss the development of academic cooperation.

By 1990, approximately 17,000 citizens of the GDR had completed a degree program at a Soviet university.

Since 1990, approximately 40,000 students from the Federal Republic of Germany have studied in Russia, either full-time or part-time.

In addition to study opportunities (which, at the master’s level, are also available in English), there are extensive research collaborations. Interesting cooperative study programs in the fields of power engineering, computer science, and renewable energy were presented by the St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University, the Universities of Freiberg and Illmenau, as well as the Stralsund University of Applied Sciences. The St. Petersburg State University of Electrical Engineering currently generates approximately 50 percent of its budget through practice-oriented third-party-funded research.

In the field of research, the focus is primarily on collaborations in the areas of computer science (hardware development, software development, data security) and energy economics (grid security, virtual grids).

Various options for organizational and financial support of doctoral projects were also presented. Up to 100 scholarships are to be provided annually in the future by Go East Generationen e.V.

In the concluding plenary session, the discussion naturally focused extensively on the future economic and political development of the European Union and Russia as partners or competitors.

The event took place under the patronage of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. A.M. Grinin.

Of course, the event also provided an opportunity to reconnect with former classmates.