The results of the global THE ranking are based on the data from a survey of academic experts, an analysis of the Scopus database and statistical information received from universities.

In terms of the “International Outlook” indicator, NUST MISIS entered the top five Russian universities participating in the ranking, gaining 67.9 points. This criterion demonstrates the effectiveness of both academic and scientific interaction at the global level. Exporting Russian education and increasing the attractiveness of NUST MISIS for international students is an important area of NUST MISIS activity in the framework of national projects. Among the university students, 25% are international students from 84 countries of the world.

The fruitful cooperation of NUST MISIS research groups with business partners contributes to maintaining a high score for the “Industry Income” indicator (87.8), which reflects the success of the university in attracting commercial investments.

Compared to last year, the published part of the ranking has been expanded and contains more than 1500 participants. Times Higher Education evaluates universities for all of their activities: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international interaction. To ensure a complete and balanced comparison, experts use 13 performance indicators grouped in 5 areas: “Teaching”, “Research”, “Citations”, “International Outlook” and “Industry Income”.

NUST MISIS first became a member of the THE World University Rankings in 2014. Today, the university is also ranked 89th in the THE Emerging Economies University Rankings.

You can learn more about the ranking results on the agency’s website.

video

— Good afternoon, Alevtina! It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Nunzio Quacquarelli, the CEO of QS. It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to interview you today. Could you please tell us three things which define MISIS today? And what are the three things which will define MISIS tomorrow?

— Thank you, Nunzio, for your question. I believe that at all times the most important value of the university was people. We strive to become the center of attraction for talented ones. That is why we create an atmosphere of scientific research, we try to develop academic freedoms and offer bright, interesting and ambitious tasks to solve. And, of course, it’s all about our students. Every year, as a result of professional navigation program implementation, motivated young people come to us. If you look at the statistics, you can see that in 2012, within the Russian academic excellence project, the average exam score of our applicants was 67.3. And, according to the results of the 2019 admission campaign, the exam score was 86.6. People, as the first and the main element, largely determine the essence and competitiveness of the university. Two other equally important elements appear from the challenges facing the university that claims to be a leader. The first one is to create its own scientific and educational agenda or take a look into the future. And the second one is the ability to answer the challenges of our time, requests from the business community. We strive to solve this at the highest level possible. Over time, these tasks will only scale, and their role will increase.

— Right, thank you. Russian engineers are renowned around the world. What can international students expect when they come to Moscow to study at MISIS?

— Thanks for your question! Moscow can be truly called one of the best cities in the world. And if students come to us, they’re going to study at a “smart” university right in the center of a “smart” city, near the Park of Culture and Recreation named after Maxim Gorky. NUST MISIS is a dynamically developing university. In our activities we rely on the principle “Student First”. NUST MISIS has all the necessary facilities not just for getting quality education and involvement in research activities, but also for the development of the abilities and talents of each student. If we talk about international students, we are creating an international environment and devoting a lot of effort to this. Today, young people from 84 countries are studying at the university. Of course, the process of adapting to life in another country is often difficult, and we know that each student may need individual help. Therefore, we established International Friendship Club, where students and adults help to adapt to new conditions as quickly as possible. In our university Russian Language Center has been operating successfully for many years, helping students from far abroad to learn Russian as a foreign language. In addition, we try to introduce students to Russian culture and history. At the same time, we carefully treat and respect the traditions, culture and history of each nation and each country, whose representatives study at our university. Of course, when students come to us from afar, they not only immerse themselves in educational and scientific life, they need to live somewhere 24/7. We offer them an equipped campus — “Commune House”, which was considered the best one in Russia last year. High-quality education, research and project activities, a lot of cultural, sport’s and artistic events — this all is awaiting both Russian and international students.

— And we are obviously living through the pandemic which is affecting countries all around the world. MISIS has many international students and faculty. What are your plans for the next year? How do you plan to start the academic year?

— In 2012 we initiated and started the implementation of Digital MISIS model, which affects all the areas of the university activities. A Student Office has been successfully operating for several years. Any student, regardless of his location, Moscow or any other part of the world, because our students practice and do internships not only in Russia, but abroad, can get answers to all questions at any time: find out about the schedule, submit the homework, ask a question or offer an idea for university development and much more things, that bother them at the moment. NUST MISIS became one of the first universities in Russia to successfully digitalize the admission campaign. This happened back in 2015. And during the 2019 admission campaign more than 95% of applicants submitted their documents remotely through personal accounts on our official website. In 2020 we are ready to conduct the admission campaign completely online. That’s why there is no need to come to Moscow from any part of the world to become a student of our university. It is also important to note that in the new academic year, we are ready to organize distance learning if it will be required because of the epidemiological situation.

— Okay, thank you. MISIS is known for being one of the most proactive universities when it comes to big international student events like Vision Hack and Ice Vision with students winning cash prizes and developing projects for companies. What can a student expect when joining MISIS in terms of extracurricular activity? And what does it mean to be a student of MISIS?

— Nunzio, I believe that it is better to ask this question to our students. At the university we try to form a creative eco-environment to develop the talents and abilities of each student. The variety of art and sport clubs and schools allows every student to find something to their liking. We believe that self-development is the main thing that drives a student in life, and it should be comprehensive. To be a student of NUST MISIS means to be ready to constantly work on yourself and change the world for the better.

— For young professionals the career opportunities are the key factor when choosing a university. What can MISIS offer graduates in terms of employment opportunities? And your alumni are going to be your ambassadors, how happy are they with their experience at MISIS?

— Traditionally the Director of the College, the Head of the Department or the Head of the Educational Program are responsible for the success and the employment of the student. However, in 2014 we established a Career Center, so that during the learning process every student could find a company, in which he or she would like to build professional individual trajectory. Therefore, the Career Center in collaboration with our partners holds more than 100 career events for our students per year. Today our university cooperates with 1645 companies in Russia and around the world, so that we can offer joint educational programs, research projects, individual externships and internships. Thus, students will be able to get to know the corporate culture of each of our partner companies. Many of them have become participants of the traditional Spring Career Fair, which is held in an online format this year. The start of this project was in March and it is still ongoing. Since 2015, our university enters the QS Employability Rankings, the “Employer/Student Connections” indicator traditionally scores more than 95-100 points out of 100 possible ones. Most of our graduates are real ambassadors of the university: they are always happy to come to our students and share the secrets of their success within the “Technology of Success” project. They invest in the endowment fund of the university, the main purpose of which is to establish scholarship and grant programs for the most talented students. But most importantly, children of many of our graduates study at our university. This is, in my opinion, the highest assessment of our work.

The Emerging Economies University Rankings, which use the same 13 performance indicators as the THE World University Rankings, is becoming more and more influential every year. To enter it, universities must meet high standards of efficiency for each of the key activities — teaching, research, citation, industry income, and international outlook. This year, universities from 47 countries of the world fought for positions in the ranking. These included 39 Russian universities, among which NUST MISIS takes 9th place.

“For the first time, NUST MISIS entered the list of the best universities in the world according to the THE World University Rankings in 2015. In 2020, the University once again showed positive dynamics in the regional ranking of the THE Emerging Economies University Rankings, taking 89th position. This was possible thanks to growth in all directions. The most noticeable strengthening of NUST MISIS positions was recorded in such areas as Research: publications, income and reputation (+6.3 points), International cooperation: staff, students and co-authorship(+9.5), and especially, ‘Industry Income’ (+15.1),” commented Rector of NUST MISIS Alevtina Chernikova.

The indicator “Industry Income” reflects the degree of business’s desire to pay for the research conducted by the university, as well as the university’s ability to attract financing in the commercial market.

The university pays special attention to innovative developments for the real sector of the economy; every year the university carries out more than 500 contracts with the leading companies in Russia and around the world. As an example, in 2019, the new Severkor steel, which has unique resistance to the hostile environment of transported crude oil, was launched for the production of oilfield pipes. It has been developed by the scientists from the Hybrid Nanostructured Materials laboratory under the guidance of Ph.D. Alexandr Komissarov in conjunction with PAO Severstal. The use of Severkor steel will in the near future guarantees a twofold increase in the service life of products.

International cooperation is one of the priorities of NUST MISIS. More than 20,000 students from 81 countries of the world study at the university. NUST MISIS implements 11 English-taught Master’s programs, as well as a pre-university program for applicants wishing to study in Russian

For all the remaining indicators, such as “Teaching”, “Research” and “Citation”, the university has also shown steady growth. For the past five years since joining the THE Emerging Economies Rankings, NUST MISIS has been showing excellent results, despite the increasing competition: the number of universities participating in the ranking is growing every year.

The Moscow International University Ranking “The Three University Missions” is an academic ranking which started in 2017. The ranking evaluates universities on objective indicators like their official websites, their standing in the Scopus database, their EdX and Coursera educational platforms, and search engine results, among other things. Reputational surveys are excluded in order to avoid subjective opinions.

NUST MISIS took 232^nd place among the world`s best universities, and 11^th among the 17 Russian universities included in the ranking.

The ranking is calculated according to three groups of criteria:

• “Education”;
• “Science”;
• “University and Society”.

The last group of criteria is non-standard for the academic ranking, but reflects the role of universities in modern digital realities, such as their contribution to the development of online education, internet resources, and social media activity.

Around 800 developments from inventors from Russia and various European and Asian countries, including Germany, Austria, China, Poland, Croatia, Portugal, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc., were presented at iENA-2018.

The NUST MISIS international committee selected three inventions to showcase at iENA as part of Project 5-100. All three developments walked away from the event with prizes and awards:

1. “Method of electrode production from alloys based on nickel aluminide”

Authors: Levashov E.A., Pogozhev Y. S., Sentyrina Zh. A., Zaytsev A.A., Sanin V.N., Yukhvid V.I., Andreev D.E., Ikornikov D.M.

— iENA-2018 gold medal;

— the Portuguese Association of Inventors and Innovators’ prize.

2. “Polymer composite with shape memory effect for 3D-printing medical products”

Authors: Senatov F.S., Nyaza K.V., Cherdyntsev V.V., Kaloshkin S.D., Estrin Y.Z.

— iENA-2018 silver medal;

— the special prize and diploma of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea for the best development presented at iENA-2018.

3. “Method of drug preparation based on magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide for MRI diagnosis of tumors”

Authors: Abakumov М.А., Majouga А.G.

— iENA-2018 bronze medal;

— diploma of the ERiNet German Association;

— the gold medal and diploma of the National Research Council of Thailand.

During the Scopus Awards Russia 2018 ceremony held in Moscow, Russian scientists from five different categories were announced. The contribution of each scientist to the development of science was evaluated according to Scopus — the largest single database of abstracts and citations of peer-reviewed scientific literature — which, in 2018 alone was accessed by over 1,300 scientific & educational organizations in Russia as part of the national subscription project.

For the first time in the Award’s history, there was a category for “contributions to the most actively developing scientific topic in the world”, according to the SciVal analytical system. The topic “High-Performance Photovoltaic Cells Based on Perovskites”, and Professor Anvar Zakhidov’s infrastructure project “High-Performance, Flexible, Photovoltaic Devices Based in Hybrid Perovskites” were announced the winner of this category.

“The award for the ‘most prominent topic for projects implemented over the past three years’ [honors] the Solar Energy project at NUST MISIS, which in my opinion, is surely in the TOP-50 world leaders in materials science already. Here, together with Sergey Didenko, Denis Kuznetsov, Danila Saranin and Artur Ishteev, we have started to work on creating innovative perovskite solar cells on flexible substrates, and we have quickly created a young, energetic and strong research team and built a laboratory. Now, the project has expanded and attracted Professor Aldo Di Carlo at the expenses of the MegaGrant, and the team is working on creating stable industrial prototypes”, said Professor Zakhidov.

In addition, Igor Tantlevsky (Saint Petersburg State University), Galina Shirokova (Saint Petersburg State University), Svetlana Shalneva (National Medical Research Center for Preventive Medicine), Viktor Lepnitsky (Samsung Artificial Intelligence Center, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology), Tatyana Khavenson (HSE), Ruslan Kaibyshev (Belgorod State University), Alexander Savekyev (HSE), Suleyman Allakhverdiev (Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology, RAS), Vladimir Petrov (Logunov Institute for High Energy Physics), Evgeny Osin (HSE) and Vladimir Ivantsov (Sochi State University) were included in the list of the most highly cited scientists in 11 subject categories.

Additionally, in a special joint nomination with Rosatom, Pavel Kirillov (Leypunsky Physics and Energy Institute) and Vadim Kurulin (RFNC-VNIIEF) were also awarded.

The Scopus Award is Elsevier’s global initiative aimed at encouraging scientists’ work, drawing focus to scientists and popularizing scientific activity among young scientists.

Over two days, leading Russian and international speakers will take part in discussions on the university`s activities in the fields of natural sciences and its transformation into the home of world-class research centers, as well as promising areas where scientific breakthroughs are possible in the near future.

“It is very important that such prominent events for the world`s scientific and educational space are held in our country, together with Russia`s leading universities. This proves the recognition of Russian education and Russian scientific and educational centers at the international level”, declared Mikhail Kotyukov, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, during his welcoming speech at the World Research Excellence Summit.

This has become possible thanks to, among other things, the implementation of Project 5-100 and using its resources to give leading universities new opportunities to promote themselves in the global academic space while simultaneously becoming benchmarks for other Russian universities.

“The results of the implementation of Project 5-100`s next stage, which was recently summarized, shows that the university-participants demonstrate positive dynamics. And the most important fact is that the Project sets new standards and rules for the entire system of Russian higher education, which all universities should follow”, noted Mikhail Kotyukov.

At least 15 research centers with the aim to strengthen strategic partnership between universities, research centers, industry, and regional authorities to promote research and innovation, develop international partnerships, and support and strengthen the socio-economic development of regions will be created in the near 6 years in accordance with the decree of the Russian President. Andrei Volkov, Deputy Chairman of the Project 5-100 Council, noted that it is necessary to create a network between the clusters engaged in innovative developments. In the past 30 years, such clusters abroad have been the main source of new developments and publications. And here, in Russia, we also need a concentration and interconnection of these clusters.

“National projects in the field of science and higher education are aimed at improving the global competitiveness of Russian universities. In this regard, we must ensure a significant increase in the publication and patent activities of leading universities, as well as an increase in the financing of innovative developments of Russian industry, which in the coming years should grow at a higher rate. The solution of complex problems requires the cooperation of many participants, and universities should become a platform for joint efforts. We expect a serious flow of the next generation of researchers into all the key sectors of the Russian economy from universities”, Kotyukov said.

After 2020, Project 5-100 will be extended for another six years, Andrei Volkov noted in his speech. The project will likely be expanded to include new universities, and some of the universities currently participating may leave it.

“NUST MISIS has been actively participating in Project 5-100 since 2013. Moreover, as you know, there are three groups in the project: the first, second and third. Sometimes universities move from one group to another, but NUST MISIS entered the first group a few years ago, and has firmly established its place there. NUST MISIS is one of Russia`s five or six most dynamically developing universities. That is why it has been chosen for the Times Higher Education summit”, said Andrei Volkov.

“It is a great honor for NUST MISIS to become a co-organizer of Russia`s first research excellence summit on ‘Transformation towards world-class research in the natural sciences’, which attracted representatives of leading international and Russian scientific and educational centers, ministries and departments, and experts in the academic industry”, noted Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

NUST MISIS is one of Russia`s most dynamically developing scientific and educational centers, constantly attracting well-trained students, leading scientists and talented professors. During its participation in Project 5-100, the University has opened more than 30 research labs and 3 world-class engineering centers staffed by world-renowned scientists.

In 2018 alone, NUST MISIS has started a joint educational program with CERN on “The Prospective Technological, Methodical and Material Solutions for New Physical Effects Searches”, created the Big Data Research Center, and launched the NTI Center for Quantum Communication technology.

NUST MISIS also has shown growth in the QS and THE global rankings, strengthening its positions in multiple subject rankings. Today, the University is included in the THE, QS, ARWU and U.S. News subject rankings, and is 30^th in the world in the “Engineering-Mining” category and TOP-100 in “Engineering-Metallurgy”.

The Council of Project 5-100 is a permanent advisory body established to consider the development issues of Russia`s leading universities in order to increase their competitiveness among the world`s leading research and educational centers. The Council is chaired by Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Kotyukov, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and Andrei Volkov, the Vice-Chairmen of the Council and an Academic policy advisor for the SKOLKOVO Moscow School of Management.

The Council consists of international and Russian representatives from the academic community, government officials responsible for educational reforms, and distinguished world experts and researchers specializing in higher education’s issues around the globe.

Compared to last year, NUST MISIS rose 29 spots in the Materials Science. The University is now ranked the 2nd best among all Russian universities in the corresponding subject (Lomonosov Moscow State University is the top ranked Russian university). NUST MISIS is also 1st among the 12 university-participants of the Project 5-100 present in the ranking.

NUST MISIS improved its position by 88 spots in the physics ranking; the University took 446th, which moved it into the TOP-100 Physics departments at European universities.

The U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings are compiled by the U.S. News & World Report, and are mainly focused on universities’ academic research and global reputation. In order to be ranked among academic institutions, a university has to be either among the TOP-250 according to the results of the Clarivate Analytics global reputation survey or have at least 1,500 publications in the Web of Science Core Collection database between 2012-2016.

The U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings mainly focuses on universities’ academic research and global reputation. The American ranking has been published for over 30 years, while the international ranking started in 2014.

U.S. News takes dozens of factors into account when composing the ranking, including a university’s research reputation, participation in conferences, number of publications in high-ranking journals, science citation index, and international cooperation, among other things.

NUST MISIS scored its best result in the International Cooperation indicator, taking 28^th place in the world.

“It is not an easy task to rise in the rankings, so it is obvious that the University has achieved [a great level of] success in the past few years. I think that this is primarily due to their increase in publication activity in world-leading journals, their invitations to world-renowned scientists, and the creation of their collaborations with scientists in Moscow”, said Professor Wolfgang Bleck, member of the NUST MISIS International Scientific Advisory Council and professor at RWTH Aachen University.

Strengthening its “International cooperation” in the scientific field is one of NUST MISIS’s key goals. Today, the University frequently cooperates with world-leading research centers and participates in 4 MegaScience-level projects, including two in collaboration with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

In addition, the University pays special attention to the development of its international academic environment: students from 69 countries study at NUST MISIS and the University has been successfully operating dual certification and exchange programs for many years. NUST MISIS partners with over 300 of the world`s leading universities.

In addition to NUST MISIS, 13 other Russian universities were included in the ranking—11 of which are also participants of Project 5-100.

NUST MISIS has strengthened its positions in the ranking`s main reputation indicators, which account for 50% of the total criteria. For the Academic Reputation indicator, the University has jumped from 97^th to 83^rd place, and for the Employee Reputation indicator, the University is now 54^th—up from 58^th in 2017.

“Systematic work with business partners that affects every area of our activities — education, research and innovation—is one of NUST MISIS’s priorities. Currently, the University is cooperating with 1,609 companies. Every year, our business partners establish scholarships and grant programs to support talented students”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The commercialization of research developments is one of the main areas of cooperation between NUST MISIS and its business partners. The research works conducted by NUST MISIS and its business partners—such as RUSAL, Russian Railways, RUSNANO, etc.—are world-class projects that help NUST MISIS’s positions in global academic rankings. About 80% of the University’s academic staff is involved in the implementation of R&D works and both undergraduate and PhD students are also actively involved in research so they can get practical experience during their time at the University. In 2017, the volume of extra-budgetary funds amounted to 36% of the University`s total funding.

The University also improved its rank in the Citations per Paper indicator, rising from 143^rd to 138^th, and the Faculty-Student indicator, which rose from 61^st to 43^rd place. Perhaps most impressively, NUST MISIS took 13^th place overall in the International Students indicator.

Multiple directors of NUST MISIS colleges presented strategies to further develop existing Bachelor`s, Master`s and PhD programs, as well as their plans for the creation of new educational directions. The ISAC members reviewed the development plans of NUST MISIS`s colleges, gave their expert assessment on the content of the new educational programs, and shared their personal experiences of how they helped transform the educational process in their own universities.

Additionally, the ISAC members gave recommendations for the development of the University`s advanced laboratories, held a series of open lectures and round table discussions on current achievements in their scientific fields, and met with NUST MISIS students in an informal setting. As several ISAC members noted, the enthusiasm of NUST MISIS’s students is one of the University’s strengths.

“Since the start of the 5-100 Program, NUST MISIS has completed a whole Bachelor’s degree program and a whole Master’s degree program, and produced students that now contribute to the Russian economy and to the science by doing PhD projects. So, I think the big achievement is the enthusiasm of the students at NUST MISIS. They are very eager to learn and also to interact with the staff of the University. And this is an extremely important part of a university — dealing with human beings”, said Professor Harry Bhadeshia from the University of Cambridge.

In addition to the plans for the development of academic programs, NUST MISIS showed the ISAC members the results of its advanced laboratories` activities and plans for the development of new labs, including the National Center of Technological Initiative for Quantum Communications and the Big Data Research Center.

“What you see in recent years is clearly more and more work, done in NUST MISIS, led by NUST MISIS. That’s very important, that captures the attention”, noted Professor Joseph Shinar from the Iowa State University.

According to the new ranking’s results, NUST MISIS has shown growth in five indicators out of eight, strengthening its positions in the “Academic reputation” indicator (from 108^th to 99^th), the “Papers per faculty” indicator (from 162^nd to 136^th), and entering the 251+ group in the “Citations per paper” indicator.

According to Professor Joseph Shinar of Iowa State University, a member of the NUST MISIS International Scientific Advisory Council: “Certainly, one of the major factors is drastically improved publication record, a lot more publications in high-profiled journals. What you see in recent years is that there are more and more papers that are clearly work, done in NUST MISIS, led by NUST MISIS. That’s very important, that captures the attention, that results in increasing rankings. And I think, it’s also important to emphasize that this improved ranking in BRICS category is very significant. It`s not an easy competition, it’s actually a very strong competition. And in spite of having this very strong competition, the rankings of NUST MISIS have grown up very highly, very quickly within this block. This is very impressive”.

NUST MISIS has shown the highest growth in the “International students” indicator, scoring the maximum 100 out of 100 points and taking 6^th place in the overall ranking—as well as taking 1^st place among Russian universities for the first time. NUST MISIS has also significantly strengthened its positions in the “Employer reputation” indicator, rising 15 positions in just a year — from 62^nd to 47^th.

“Strengthening our cooperation with the business community is one of the key areas of NUST MISIS`s activities. We actively cooperate with our employers in every important area for the University: research, innovation, and the development and implementation of academic programs. Leading companies like OMK, Metalloinvest, Norilsk Nickel, Alrosa, Evraz, EuroChem, KarakanInvest, NLMK, etc. are among our key partners. Thanks to this systematic work, NUST MISIS regularly [improves] its positions in the world`s leading educational rankings in terms of indicators that assess interaction with the business community”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The results of the THE Ranking are based on a survey of academic experts, analysis of the Scopus database and statistical information received from universities. According to the results of the 2018 ranking, NUST MISIS earned its highest scores for “Industry income”, which reflects a university’s success of attracting commercial investments, and for “International environment”, which shows the effectiveness of an institution’s international academic and scientific cooperation.

According to all the indicators, NUST MISIS took 11^th among the 35 Russian universities listed in the ranking, and 8^th among the 18 university-participants of the Project 5-100.

NUST MISIS first appeared on the THE World University Rankings in 2014. Today, the University is ranked 99^th in the Economics University Rankings and 18^th among universities in Eurasia.

The QS Graduate Employability Rankings takes not just statistical indicators of higher educational institutions, but also the opinions of employers into account. The ranking began in 2016 and is now published annually. The ranking includes the following indicators:

— Employer reputation

— Alumni outcomes

— Employer-student connections

— Partnership with employers per faculty

— Graduate employment rate

NUST MISIS ranked 37^th among all universities in the world gaining 95.5 out of 100 points for the “Employer-student connections” indicator. This is an average of 56.1 points higher than other universities in Russia, leading NUST MISIS to 2^nd place among the 18 Russian universities included in the ranking. The University also took 2^nd place among Russian universities for the “Partnership with employers per faculty” indicator.

According to NUST MISIS’s statistics, 93.2% of University graduates find employment within 6 months of their graduation. To prepare students for professional activities, NUST MISIS actively cooperates with more than 1,600 Russian and international companies including industry leaders such as Metalloinvest, EVRAZ, Karakan Invest, Norilsk Nickel, EuroChem, Severstal, etc.

The NUST MISIS Career Center, which organizes over 9,000 unique practical trainings and internships in enterprises and about 100 career events and case-championships nationwide annually, was created in 2014. Master-classes on the basics of modern communications & public speaking skills, teamwork training sessions, and leadership development sessions are held there on a regular basis.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities is compiled from six key indicators: alumni and staff of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Field Medals, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in the Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Science Citation Index, highly cited researchers, and the per capita academic performance of an institution.

This is the very first time that NUST MISIS is appearing on the ARWU Ranking, placing in the 801-900 group. The Ranking includes 12 Russian universities, including 10 participants of the Project 5-100.

Graduates of NUST MISIS, MGIMO, Lomonosov Moscow State University, St Petersburg University, The Maurice Thorez Institute of Foreign Languages, and Ural Federal University are among the program’s first batch of students. Five students, including two NUST MISIS postgraduates who successfully completed the entrance exam, have received personal grants from Professor Krasnyansky that fully cover the cost of tuition. Better yet, Professor Krasnyansky has invited them to work in Karakan-Invest`s Analytical Center for the duration of their Master`s degree studies.

The program is primarily practice-oriented. Evening classes will give students the opportunity to combine studying with practical experience through internships in leading mining-mineral companies. The program’s graduates will obtain knowledge in the technologies and economics of mining enterprises, as well as skills in the analysis of international markets, geopolitics, geo-economics and commodity trading. All of this will give graduates the best advantage possible in the labor market.

“The program`s main goal is to train miners specializing in the international field ... competent sought-after professionals and future managers for management [centers] of mineral companies, international traders, and analytics companies. Today, in the context of strengthening control of markets and spheres of influence and the high dynamics of change in commodity markets, the need for specialists is coming into prominence. We are all happy that the program has aroused great interest among students”, — said Professor Krasnyansky.

Due to increased interest in the program, the question of whether to increase the number of places for the first set of students to 16 is being considered. If enrollment is expanded, the additional admissions will be held in August 2018. The admission information will be published on both NUST MISIS and MGIMO’s websites.

The “Strategic Management of International Companies in the Field of Mineral Resources” program is a part of the NUST MISIS project “Master`s Degree with Partners”. In addition to MGIMO, the University implements joint programs with the Financial University Under the Government of the Russian Federation and RUSNANO.

Nitrides are actively used in superhard coatings and electronics. Usually, the nitrogen content in these materials is low, and it is therefore difficult to get the nitrogen levels to exceed the levels of transition metals (as the nitrogen bonds are too high energy).

Compounds rhenium and iron, which the researchers chose for the experiments, embody this problem particularly well. As such, the researchers decided to change the synthesis from ordinary conditions on Earth to a condition of ultra-high pressure.

“This method is one of the most promising ways to create new high quality materials, and it opens up fantastic opportunities. There are well-known examples like artificial diamonds and cubic boron nitride (CBN), which existed in a natural form. However the idea to consciously create materials that are impossible [to make] in nature is our know-how”, commented Igor Abrikosov, Head of the NUST MISIS Laboratory for the Modelling & Development of New Materials.

According to Abrikosov, the experiments produced results almost immediately. Nitrogen, together with a transition metal, is placed into a diamond anvil cell, and a simple direct synthesis is carried out under high pressure.

“Rhenium nitride has a characteristic of low compressibility, so it potentially has very high mechanical characteristics and the characteristic of superhardness — which is important, for example, in improving the quality of cutting tools”, Abrikosov added.

Abrikosov believes the research group will later clarify whether the materials are superconductors or magnets, and whether they are suitable for spintronics.

Their backward chaining requires more experimental facilities for further analysis. Those facilities are already underway however, and are likely to bear fruit within the next year.

If the research team proves the material’s assumed superhardness, then within 5 years we will be able to see the “impossible” materials being used in commercial fields.

Martin Hinoul is an expert at one of Europe`s fastest growing startups—K.U. Leuven Technology Transfer Center. Professor Hinoul notes that for a university or startup to succeed they need to create a critical mass consisting of technology parks, incubators, and accelerators, at a minimum.

An infrastructure, founded in 1998, has built up a network that includes 7,000 businessmen and companies. As part of the implementation of the project, more than 120 independent businesses were created based on K.U. Leuven`s developments in the fields of nanotechnologies, medicine, natural science, etc. According to Hinoul, K.U. Leuven annually invests more than 1 billion euros into R&D, and the center`s annual turnover is 8 billion euros.

According to Martin Hinoul, “Interaction between cities and universities is extremely important as universities will play a key role not only in the fields of science and education but also in the economic growth of cities”.

In the knowledge economy, innovative research centers, which generate ideas and transfer technology, have the potential to become engines of urban and regional development.

“Today, world-class research universities are involved in the transformation of the economy, as they affect society and urban environments, forming a culture of openness for the development of effective interaction with the city. Leading scientific and educational centers attract the world`s best scientists, professors, and students from around the world, which has a significant impact on the development of existing and the formation of new industries. University activities contribute to [Moscow]`s attractiveness for Russian and international students, creating points of multiple interaction as a basis for the birth of innovations”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

In 2016, 23 leading European research universities provided 100 billion euros of added value to their regions. Based off these numbers, in large cities the total contribution of a leading university to the economy can equal 10-15% of the city’s total revenue.

“Universities will continue to provide education to the city`s residents but they will also increasingly create workplaces with higher value added. To do this, cities need to create business incubators, accelerators, research parks, and ensure the participation of venture capital. To attract talented people, cities themselves must be attractive”, — said Martin Hinoul.

As participants of the discussion noted, a city should become a customer, so to speak, of universities, because innovations often derive directly from universities. University zones of megacities provide a higher education level to the population, and help attract and retain talent. Thus, a key strategy for urban development should be the development of human capital, which attracts universities. As Yuri Pukha, PwC Partner, noted, the cities of the future will spring up around universities.

According to Alevtina Chernikova, “NUST MISIS aims to create an open, accessible, and convenient campus integrated into the urban space. This year, the development of an additional entrance to Gorky Park from the NUST MISIS campus will be completed. This will allow us to include the University`s territory in a single space with the Park. Together with Moscow, we hold pop science, educational, and professional navigation events available to the general public such as Maker Fair Moscow, #EdCrunch, an international educational conference, University Saturdays at FabLab, science festivals, and film screenings, among other things”.

K.U. Leuven and NUST MISIS have been cooperating since 2017, when the parties signed a cooperation agreement in the field of science and education. The creation of a joint educational English language program for digital manufacturing and the development of the program’s online courses are the first step in the agreement.

NUST MISIS is in the TOP-100 for Metallurgical Engineering for the second straight year. In ARWU-2018, the University appears in three categories: Mining & Mineral Engineering (76-100), Materials Science, and Engineering (301+).

According to Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS, “The results [we’ve achieved] are due to the University`s successful research activities aimed at creating new laboratories and attracting leading Russian and international scientists, and the growth of our publication activity and citation rate [is the result of this]”.

In 2018, 17 Russian universities, including 11 participants of the 5-100 Project, took part in the Shanghai ranking. NUST MISIS is one of three universities ranked in the TOP-100 in two categories.

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“Our plate consists of a porous layer and a solid layer of UHMW. The layers are not connected to each other but are obtained as a single product in one technological operation. Largely because of this, the cracks are not formed either in the thickness of the layer or even on the boundary between the layers after an impact. Moreover, the material keeps its properties even up to —80°С. More importantly, we have tried to split it with liquid nitrogen (-196°С), and it turned out to be almost impossible to do, if you don`t cut the plate much in advance”, said Fedor Senatov, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, research assistant at the NUST MISIS Center of Composite Materials, and one of the founders of Biomimetix.

According to Senatov, the developers have not only thrown heavy pieces of iron into their development, but have also shot from pneumatics. The results have been successful regardless, as the material continually suppressed the impact’s force. This panel will be ideal to protect hockey players or paintballers (or even hunters), as it’s full protection at a considerable price.

“To create a cheap protective material was one of our first tasks. It doesn’t reach combat protection according to safety characteristics, but it’s better and much cheaper than existing sports protection”, Senatov said.

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The porous layer can also become a good sound absorber. By order of one of its business partners, the company is now specifying the optimal parameters of sound absorption. As the developer noted, this can be adjusted through controlled changes in the material’s porosity.

The new sandwich-plates will become the basis for the creation of heat-insulating shock-resistant coatings. Therefore, the material will certainly find its application in the Arctic as it is lightweight, strong, durable, and able to protect not only against the Arctic wind, but its snowstorms too.

Researchers from Biomimetix have checked the durability of the UHMW on tape for bearings, another product made of polymer. This tape, built into the inner surface of the bearing, contacts balls and rollers. Due to a special technology of tape production, it has an extremely low coefficient of sliding friction against steel — 0.04 (on the market in existing bearings made of similar materials, the coefficient of friction under similar conditions is at least twice as large). At the same time, the durability is exponentially greater, especially at low temperatures. Just like the sandwich-panel, the tape can maintain its characteristics up to 80°С.

“We`ve talked with miners, and they said that tapes of great length are used for ore transportation. The bearings, where the conveyor belt lies, break very often. Because of this, you have to stop to replace them. I think that we can reduce the frequency of replacements by at least [300%], or even more. Thus, our development will bring serious additional profit to companies that will use it”, Senatov added.

Biomimetix has become a logical site for the continuation of work which researchers have previously carried out at NUST MISIS. Together with the University, Biomimetix has launched this small innovative enterprise to turn fundamental and applied research into commercial products.

The creation of two-dimensional semiconductor materials is one of the most important areas of modern materials science. These materials can be the basis for elements needed to create the next generation of electronics.

One two-dimensional material with suitable electronic characteristics is two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), which has a single-layer structure (one atom layer) of molybdenum located between two sulfur layers: this material has a high charge mobility and high on/off in the transistor element.

In 2017, Professor Gotthard Seifert described the mechanism of defect germination in the structure of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide as a process that will make it possible for scientists to capitalize on two-dimensional MoS₂’s full potential use in microelectronics. This work was published in the leading journal, ACS Nano.

The study of other two-dimensional materials’ properties for their application in electronics has become the next step in this field. Monolayers of molybdenum disulfide (and, for example, wolframite diselenides—WSe₂) have shown exceptional optical properties due to excitons: tightly bound pairs of electron-hole (quasiparticles acting as a carrier of a positive charge).

At the same time, the creation of the MoS₂/WSe₂ heterostructure by laying separate monolayers on each other leads to the appearance of a new type of exciton in it, where the electron and the hole are spatially divided into different layers.

Scientists have shown that interlayer excitons give a very specific optical signal display when layered. This allow scientists to study quantum phenomena, making it ideal for experiments in volitronics (a field of quantum electronics, “valley”, or the local minimum of an element’s conduction zone) to control electrons in the “valleys” of semiconductors. In the future, these breakthroughs could lead to the most effective way to code information (by placing an electron in one of these valleys).

“Thanks to the use of spectroscopic methods and quantum-chemical calculations from the first principles, we have revealed a partially charged electron-hole in MoS₂/WSe₂ heterostructures, as well as [the electron-hole’s] location. We have managed to control the radiation energy of this new exciton by changing the relative orientation of the layers”, commented Professor Gotthard Seifert, one of NUST MISIS`s leading scientists.

According to Seifert, this result is an important step towards understanding and controlling exciton effects in Van der Waals heterostructures (where these distance-dependent atomic interactions occur). The research team is continuing to study the effect of layer rotations on the material’s electronic properties. In the future, this will allow for the creation of unique new materials for solar panels or electronics.

In 2018, the QS World University Ranking attributed NUST MISIS’s improvement to the following indicators: “employer reputation”, “citation”, and “faculty/student ratio”. Likewise, in the 2019 rankings the University has seen an increase in the “employer reputation” indicator—jumping 71 spots to now place 497^th in the world.

“Our University cooperates with more than 1,600 state corporations and enterprises in every area of its activities: the scientific, the educational, and the social. NUST MISIS partners with companies who are respected leaders in their industry: OMK, Metalloinvest, RUSAL, Vnesheconombank, Severstal, Panasonic, IBS, and many others. Thanks to close cooperation with the business-community, we train specialists whose professional skills and abilities meet the demands of the market. Every year, NUST MISIS students take unique internships and practices—most of them ending up with job offers—and attend nearly 100 career events, as well as participating in case-championships and in research on the order of the business community”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The QS Regional Director of Central Europe & Central Asia Zoya Zaitseva commented on significant growth of the university in the QS World University Ranking — 2019: “NUST MISIS has done an absolutely amazing job since joining the QS World University Rankings for the first time five years ago. The achieved results prove the strategy chosen was right for the university and it managed to keep the right balance between historical traditions and innovation. The significant growth in the indicator ‘Employer Reputation’ which is based on the votes of the business community, confirms that the university is cooperating with business partners in the right manner and the efforts have finally started to bear fruit”.

The University also rose in the “citation” indicator, reaching the 601+ group globally. This increase is due to the University`s successful scientific & research activities. NUST MISIS is currently a participant of 4 MegaScience projects: LHCb, SHiP, Horizon 2020, and MoEDAL. NUST MISIS is also the only Russian university that has signed a cooperation agreement with CERN.

In 2017, NUST MISIS’s project “Large-size semi-translucent solar panels with the use of stable perovskite architectures”, led by Aldo Di Carlo, Professor of Optoelectronics and Nanoelectronics at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, won the Megagrant Program. Today, more than 30 laboratories and 3 world-class engineering centers, all staffed by leading international scientists, operate at NUST MISIS.

In the “faculty/student ratio” indicator, NUST MISIS moved up 35 positions to 174^th in the world. The University also scored well in the “international student ratio” indicator, clocking in at 262th. This is further proof of the demand international students have to study at the University. Today, of NUST MISIS’s 17,000 students, 3,300 are international, coming from 69 countries around the world to receive their education at NUST MISIS.

The NAFSA Conference & Exhibition is one of the world`s largest educational forums, bringing together more than 10,000 experts from 3,500 universities from over 100 different countries. The key topic of this 70^th anniversary conference was “Diverse Voices, Shared Commitment”.

Experts in various fields of science and education spoke at the conference. Laura Bush, a former First Lady of the United States and human rights activist, Bill Nye, an American science and education personality, and journalist Terry Gross were among the keynote speakers at the Conference.

Employees of the NUST MISIS Office of International Academic Mobility held meetings with representatives of universities from nine different countries.

In the meetings, the University outlined potential cooperation agreements. The conclusion of a dual degree diploma program was discussed with representatives from Paris-Saclay, and a student exchange program as part of the Erasmus+ program was discussed with the Dresden University of Technology.

As part of the various negotiations, two scientific & pedagogical employees from the Warsaw University of Technology will come to NUST MISIS this August. In the future, the parties are planning to develop joint educational programs in English.

Cooperation in the field of science and education was discussed with a number of Chinese universities as well: CDTU (Chengdu) University, Jiangsu University, and Shenzhen Polytechnic University. American universities like Brown University, Northeastern University, and the University of Georgia expressed interest in NUST MISIS’s scientific developments and educational programs.

Cooperation plans with Indian universities, who were participating in the conference for the first time, were also discussed. NUST MISIS will sign several memorandums of understanding in the near future and has plans for further interaction with potential partners.

“The NAFSA Conference is an effective tool for the development of international cooperation, as well as an event for Russian universities participating in the 5-100 Project, including NUST MISIS. This year we have managed to meet with almost all our international partners and communicate with new ones. NAFSA-2018 also presented a very interesting business program. Representatives of several Russian universities participating in the 5-100 Project delivered speeches during the session devoted to Russian education. I believe that in the near future we will also be making presentations at NAFSA about our experience in science, education, and brand building”, commented Vasif Faradzhov, leading specialist at the NUST MISIS Office of International Academic Mobility.

In addition, THE Ranking representatives held an event as part of the NAFSA Conference where its representatives announced the results of the ranking on academic reputation of universities. NUST MISIS again saw significant growth, rising from 648^th to 558^th.

“We are recognized every year more and more both among Eurasian and North and South American universities. With full confidence, we can say that the NUST MISIS brand is getting stronger and more noticeable. And it is not surprising when such a well-coordinated and strong team works together”, Faradzhov added.

Students from African countries studying at NUST MISIS and other Moscow universities took part in the event. They were happy to show what their countries are known for — whether it’s malachite jewelry from the Congo or a popular Kuduro dance from Angola. During the runway walk, the participants introduced the audience to colorful national outfits. In addition to the students, representatives of several African embassies also visited the ceremony.

“I believe that getting a technical education at NUST MISIS is a great opportunity for African students. These specialties are in great demand in our countries and graduates can successfully apply their knowledge upon their return home. We value our cooperation and would like to have more students studying in your University”, said Mr. Salim M. Salim, Charge D`Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Moscow.

Masamba Kah, head of the NUST MISIS International Master`s Degree Program “Science and Materials of Solar Energy” welcomed all the participants and guests in his video address. For this event, the NUST MISIS Office of International Affairs prepared small gifts for the most active members of the union: a memorable t-shirt with the University`s logo.

“NUST MISIS has become a ‘Moscow home’ for students from 24 African countries. They study in all colleges and at all levels of education — from Bachelor`s degrees to PhD programs, as well as in the preparatory department. On behalf of NUST MISIS management I would like to thank all the members of the African Union for their contribution to the intercultural dialogue”, — said Alyona Ponomarenko, head of the NUST MISIS Office of International Academic Mobility.

African Student Union Day was held through the support of the NUST MISIS International Friendship Club and the Office of International Academic Mobility for the 3^rd straight year.

This list, which ranks the universities with the highest number of international students, is based on the THE institutional ranking. Only the universities with the highest number of international students were selected from all the universities included in the THE institutional ranking, so they were ranked solely on that criteria. The published ranking includes 200 universities.

Today, more than 17,000 students study at NUST MISIS, including 3,300 international students from 69 countries. NUST MISIS has 9 Master`s degree programs taught in English, as well as summer school courses on materials science, and quantum & IT-technologies held for international students.

The Emerging Economies University Rankings is the newest ranking from Times Higher Education, with its first publication in December 2013. In 2014, scientific & educational organizations from 18 countries participated in the ranking. In 2018 however, educational organizations from 50 countries took part. The final list includes 378 universities. NUST MISIS’s results are even more encouraging, rising from 163^rd to 99^th.

According to the ranking’s representatives, the methodology of the Emerging Economies University Rankings revised was revised for 2018. The aim of the changes was to better reflect the priority areas of development of universities in countries with dynamically developing economies. In particular, the indicators characterizing a university’s connections with the business community and how a university integrates itself into the world scientific & educational environment have gained the highest weight. NUST MISIS scored significant results in both indicators.

“Compared to last year, the number of international students and scientific studies has increased, as well as the income from developments carried out in the interest of the business community. Currently, we work with 1,609 companies in various spheres of our activities. I would also like to note that not only has the quantity, but the quality of scientific research, has also improved. Compared to 2017’s figures, NUST MISIS’s scientists have published three times more articles in journals included in the WoS and Scopus database, and the citation of scientific works performed by NUST MISIS researchers has increased more than 2.5 times”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

When compiling the ranking, THE obtained most of the information from public sources. Part of the data, such as the number of academic staff, the number of students, and funding were provided by the universities. Surveys of representatives from academia and the business community contributed more than a third of the information to the rating index.

“The Emerging Economies University Rankings, based on 13 key performance efficiency indicators of the main Times Higher Education Ranking, is becoming more and more influential every year. To get into the ranking, universities must meet the highest efficiency standards for each of the key activities — teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international cooperation. That is why the entry of NUST MISIS into the TOP-100 of the ranking is an impressive achievement. The University has managed to achieve results in such indicators as impact of scientific research, income from investments, and international cooperation. These breakthrough results bring NUST MISIS to the world level”, said Ellie Bothwell, Reporter at the Times Higher Education.

Vadim Petrov, NUST MISIS Vice-Rector of Educational Affairs, noted the importance of this event: “NUST MISIS is a universe of science and knowledge, but at the same time we don’t forget that our students carry a piece of their homeland in their hearts. It is very important that the University hosts an event where students from all over the world introduce us to their culture”.

The Day of Nationalities is an opportunity to feel unity with representatives of different nations and to mentally visit their countries. Following tradition, the celebration begins with a flash mob on the University square, during which representatives of each country present their nation’s traditional dances. A vivid concert was held after, serving national dishes.

This year, the NUST MISIS International Friendship Club (the event’s organizer) held the quiz, “Countries, peoples, and nationalities of the world” on the VK social media platform. Laura Zhaksylykova, from Kazakhstan, won the contest.

More than 17,000 students study at NUST MISIS, including 3300 students from 69 countries around the globe. NUST MISIS is one of the leaders in internationalization among the university-participants of Project 5-100.

In Fall 2018, the 2^nd International Congress of Student Associations will be held at NUST MISIS. The Congress is organized jointly with the All-Russian International Youth Union and supported by both the Russian Ministry of Education & Science and Rosmolodezh. It is aimed at developing the network between student associations and consolidating the experience of various universities in Russia and abroad.

Duncan Ross, Data and Analytics Director at T.H.E., talked about factors that influence representatives of the academic community when voting for reputation surveys. He also presented a detailed analysis of NUST MISIS’s indicators in the World University Rankings (WUR) and noted that one of NUST MISIS`s strengths is its rich history.

“The university`s centenary is an excellent occasion not only for the celebration of today`s successes, but also to recall the outstanding achievements of the past”, — he added.

Phil Baty, Editorial Director at Times Higher Education, gave recommendations for building and strengthening the university’s international reputation and strong brand. His presentation was accompanied by an analysis of NUST MISIS’s indicators in the context of our strategic vision for the development of the University’s reputation.

The training program, developed by the NUST MISIS Academic Writing University Center, included four educational modules and a practical part. The aim was to improve people’s professional foreign language writing skills, allowing them to write proper applications for research funding and new developments.

Like last year in 2017, Varvara Sosedova, Candidate of Philological Sciences, a specialist in the field of Economics, and the author of the “Grant Proposal” course on the Coursera platform, headed the course. Marina Melkonyan, coordinator of the Pumping and Compression Pipe “Infrastructure” course, held a short master-class where she told Russian and international students about the main mobility programs for NUST MISIS researchers.

During the course students learned not only about the main planning tools and project organization but also about how to determine research costs, as well as making and justifying a budget. Certificates and credentials of course completion will be awarded at the end of April, after students pass the practical writing task.