ITMO University

Overview

Founded in 1900, ITMO University is one of the leading higher education institutions in Russia that provide training and conduct research in advanced science, humanities, engineering, and technology. The university’s major departments are its five schools: Computer Technologies and Control, Physics and Engineering, Translational Information Technologies, and Life Sciences, as well as the Faculty of Technological Management and Innovations and Higher School of Engineering and Technology. These departments offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs taught in Russian and English to a large and diverse student body, of whom over 15% are international students. As one of the top universities in the country, ITMO is a top-tier participant of several major national projects, including Priority 2030, Advanced Engineering Schools, and the TOP educational programs initiative in IT and AI. ITMO’s high-priority research areas include AI, IT, photonics, robotics, quantum communications, solution chemistry and advanced materials, translational medicine, urban studies, science art, and science communication. The fundamental research conducted by ITMO’s world-class scientists is transformed into applied solutions in collaboration with major industrial partners and at ITMO-based national research centers, including the National Center for Quantum Internet, the Research Center “Strong AI in Industry,” and the National Center for Cognitive Research. The university is committed to providing students with opportunities for holistic development to inspire them to tackle global challenges. Importantly, thanks to the university’s focus on personalized education, students are enabled to create their own individual educational curricula tailored to their interests and careers. This, as well as close cooperation with major domestic tech corporations, ensures that upon graduation students are able to secure middle+ positions in their areas of expertise. Among ITMO’s values are integrity and academic freedom: the university encourages open-source solutions and shares its best practices with fellow educators; with a wide network of intrauniversity and external grants, students are supported in pursuing their own breakthrough research ideas that result in Nature Index publications, top educational courses, or booming startups. With its campus located in the historic center of St. Petersburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site, ITMO offers students countless opportunities to experience the city’s sophisticated cultural life. A stone’s throw away from the main campus are the world-famous Hermitage Museum, the 18th-century Peter and Paul Fortress, and the magnificent Neva River. However, all sorts of exciting activities can be enjoyed on campus, as well: from an abundance of student clubs to intrauniversity events and competitions, there is always something to do at ITMO. This is no small part thanks to the university’s modern, multifunctional spaces, from classrooms to coworking spaces that can be transformed in a beat to accommodate conferences, concerts, major study sessions, or friendly chats. All this and more is also to be expected at the highly anticipated ITMO Highpark, the new campus currently under construction in the south of St. Petersburg, which recently received over 5 billion rubles in investments.

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