Compared to 2014 MEPhI has showed growth in QS BRICS-2015: all rating indicators were improved. In addition MEPhI has retained global leadership in the indicator “Number of citations per number of publications”, which helped to improve university position on 6 points – from 57th (in 2014) to 51th place.

Results, achieved by the most successful Russian universities, were announced at a press-conference in RIA Novosti News Agency held on Wednesday with participation of the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation A.A. Klimov, Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of QS Ltd Zoya Zaitseva and representatives of University rectors.

According to the figurative expression of a MEPhI rector M.N. Strikhanov, global rankings are a kind of mirror in which University community need to periodically look that not to lose an objective presentation about them. “However we should not ideologize, as well as absolutize results of even the most influential ratings. It’s better to maintain a balance between the best Russian educational traditions and modern Western practices”.

MEPhI rector emphasized a need for fundamentally different approaches to formation of an administrative structure of a modern University, which should be more like well-adjusted business structure or service structure, particularly in the areas of PR and HR.

With regard to global forecasts, in the view of a QS representative, China will continue to demonstrate the greatest positive trend in the next three years. “The U.S. is the only country in the world that invests more in education then China does”, Z. Zaitseva said.

According to her, it is India that also has plans to significantly increase spending on higher education. So that it will increase representation of Indian universities among the leading universities of the world. “India has announced the growth of allocations to higher education, which should lead to creation of new technological universities. And it’s likely that in seven years those new universities will supplant universities of countries that now invest less in higher education”, said the representative of the QS.

“We need to win not in the number but in skills. Amount of funding is important, as well as approaches that are used by universities in its activities, including activities related to achievement of global competitiveness”, – the Deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Science A.A. Klimov commented this forecast.

QS University Rankings: BRICS 2015 (official website)