Siberian Federal University (SibFU), since its foundation in 2006, has been attracting international students and researchers. Talented graduates are headhunted by leading businesses, which create joint chairs with the University and offer internships to students and researchers. Industry experts and business gurus willingly train students employing practice-oriented approaches. Synergy of state-of-the-art University equipment and highly-qualified training practitioners inspire development of hi-tech products with great commercial potential.

Here at SibFU we are sure that Russia's science has a considerable potential in gaining higher positions in world rankings. The University has welcomed more than 2,500 international researchers within the last 5 years, among them world-renowned scientists and young researchers starting their careers.
SibFU Post-doc
Siberian Federal University offers a unique 'SibFU Post-doc' support programme. A post-doc is a relatively new phenomenon for the Russian tertiary level; only a few universities run such programmes. SibFU started the programme in 2015. Since then a group of young promising researchers from India, Spain and the Czech Republic have been developing their projects under the guidance of leading University supervisors.

The selection procedure for applicants was tough; they had to face an intense competition. The requirements were to have the articles published in Web of Science or Scopus journals (world largest citation index services which include only quality peer-reviewed publications), to have experience of successful participation in research projects. Winning in the competition was worth it; the University provided the selected post-docs with modern on-campus accommodation, good salary and the possibility to work on the state-of-the-art laboratory equipment in projects at the cutting-edge of modern science under the leadership of eminent Russian scientists.

Post-doc research projects at SibFU are practice-oriented. For example, an Indian post-doc Venugopal Nakkala is researching materials which improve solar batteries efficiency. His country mate Baker Syed, who is a researcher at Laboratory of biotechnology of new materials, is working on possibilities of exploiting microorganisms — endophytes — in treating cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Spanish Alberto Arzac considered that possibilities provided by Siberian Federal University in working on his favourite dendrochronological projects are outstanding, applied for the programme grant and succeeded.

Currently the University has announced about a second intake to the post-doc programme; young researchers under 35 are encouraged to apply. The University plans are to welcome from 50 to 100 international post-docs annually.
One more unique academic project of the University is a rare for Russia possibility to obtain a PhD degree, PhD SibFU. This degree is very well-known on the global academic market; but in Russia a common doctoral degree is a Candidate of Science, which needs recognition outside Russia and may pose certain inconveniences for its holder. SibFU has become a fourth university among more than 1000 higher-ed institutions in the Russian Federation which was granted a ministerial approval to award PhD degrees. Today the University offers 15 PhD SibFU doctoral programmes, among them "Optics and Quantum Chemistry", "Biology", "Urban Design and Planning", and others. The demands for a PhD dissertation defence in these programmes are more stringent than those for Candidate of Science dissertations because they are aimed at an international level.

Projects
Project at a Master's level
Today Siberian Federal University is developing 12 projects whose aim and ambition are to increase the quality of training; we'd like to briefly introduce some of them. Firstly it is a project developed at a Master's level "Special Engineering Training", commonly referred to as "elite Master's". It is carried out jointly with such national and international industry leaders as 'Radiosvyaz' Company (Radio Connection), Information Satellite Systems — Reshetnev Company, RUSAL (Russian Aluminium). The graduates of this programme will never hear reproaches in having gaps in practical training from their co-professionals and bosses. They receive a huge amount of input and training exactly from these people.
Project at a Bachelor's level
Another project is developed at a Bachelor's level; it's closely connected with CDIO approach to training engineers where CDIO stays for Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate. The name itself illustrates the approach: focus on creativity and ability to find unconventional solutions to problems. The core of their training is a project approach. Already in the first year of study the students have to develop a mini-project; for example, they have to make a functioning scale-model of wind turbine, which requires knowing theory, skills in making a design and using for the purpose specialist software; then they have to have handcraft skills to use suitable equipment to make the model itself and to make it function. CDIO global movement has been joined by only a few Russia's universities because it requires certain investment into faculty training and curricula development; yet SibFU believes the project is worth investment.
A pool of University strategic academic projects include large-scale internal and smaller ones focused at solving more specific tasks. With a few projects SibFU pioneered on Russia's market of higher education, namely, we were the first to start all-Russia internet contest for SibFU prospective students. Smaller projects might be less visible but all together they contribute to bringing positive changes to a tertiary level education in the country, breaking stereotypes about an excessively-fundamental focus of education in Russia, ultimately, to raising its quality and making it more attractive internationally.
  • University of Arctic (UArctic);
  • University of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization;
  • Eurasian Association of Universities;
  • Association of Sino-Russian Economic Universities;
  • Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities.
Strategic partners of the SibFU
  • Russian Academy of Sciences;
  • The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;
  • National Instruments; State corporation "Rosatom";
  • PLC "RUSAL"
  • JSC "MMC" Norilsk Nickel;
  • JSC "RusHydro";
  • PLC "Vankorneft";
  • JSC "Polyus Gold";
  • JSC "SUEK";
  • PJSC "Alrosa";
  • PC "Schlumberger Limited";
  • The State Russian Museum;
  • Federal Biomedical Agency;
  • Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation;
  • Delcam International Company;
  • GexCon Corporation;
  • East Siberian Branch of Sberbank of Russia;
  • The East-Siberian branch of RosBank, Inc.
Knowledge-intensive innovative University assets include R&D centres, a network of innovative small businesses, commonly-shared laboratory centres, corporate partner-company centres which are jointly managed by a company and the University. At SibFU there is a corporate Oil & Gas centre developed jointly with Schlumberger company and R&D centre on development of dynamic systems in management and quality assurance of mining and processing of mineral resources, jointly created with Norilsk Nickel.
Journal of SibFU is a scientific peer-reviewed magazine and periodicity of its series publication is once a quarter. Articles are published in the chronological order after they have gone the procedure of reviewing, which is "hard and fast" according to the international requirements.

Every article is considered by at least two highly qualified specialists of the given direction, those who have a wide experience of publishing in well-known journals. Publication is free of charge for all authors.

Main language of publications, which are accepted to the Journal, is English. Nevertheless, the Journal is bi-lingual; it means that we afford authors an opportunity to choose whom they address their articles to: the world scientific society, which speaks and writes in English, which, at present time, is the international language, or by some reason they wish to limit their readership only by the Russian-speaking audience.

The Series of Journal:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Engineering and Technologies
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Physics

14
research academic centres
38
chairs in partnership with businesses and industry from all Siberia
4
unique units

Law clinic, UNESCO chair "New materials and Technology", Botanic Garden, Psychological clinic
IncomesRoubles
Federal Budget support6 626,5 mln roubles
Revenues from University business activities2 034,8 mln roubles
Revenues from R&D and commercialization activities1 014 mln roubles
Regional budget support119,5 mln roubles
1,5 mln roubles — Income from research commercialization activities per a faculty member

1451,2 thousand roubles — Cost of an average R&D project