Autumn of 2024 is full of new internship programmes from ‘InteRussia’ for young professionals from abroad.
– Dmitry Valerievich, please tell us about the InteRussia programme. How did this project begin, what does it entail?
– The InteRussia internship programme was launched in 2021 by the Gorchakov Foundation in partnership with Rossotrudnichestvo, with our ‘New Generation’ («Новое поколение»). Our main task was to combine the potential of the two organisations and involve leading expert centres in this process. This includes conserving public funds, original content, excellent mentors for youth from abroad and the opportunity for unique meetings. Most importantly, InteRussia graduates remain in each other’s orbit, as well as their scientific supervisors and mentors, for a long time.
What is the programme’s essence? We bring young people (we started with international specialists) to Russia for almost a month so that they can establish a new circle of professional contacts, gain knowledge and improve their expert skills in research. As a result, they get acquainted with the Russian agenda and the view of our political science community on the processes taking place in the world, broaden their horizons and, at the same time, explore opportunities for further cooperation. The world of professionals is, after all, narrow, for which reason such horizontal ties are the most durable. At the same time, we organise meetings for them with important people in government agencies, universities and think tanks.
The first pilot project took place in the autumn of 2021, when in MGIMO young historians and political scientists wrote scientific papers the 30th anniversary of CIS and post-Soviet integration. They studied the prospects and challenges from the point of view of their countries and others – some represented Kazakhstan, some Tajikistan, etc.
The following year there were already five such events, then 8 and in 2024 – 17.
– What specialties have internships covered over the years?
– In 2022, we jointly repeated the scientific task, focusing research on the interaction between Russia and countries of the Near Abroad. In addition, young experts specialising in studying new challenges and threats were brought to our country. As is known, Russia has strong forecasting models and a serious analytical base for this kind of work.
In 2023, new topics appeared. We realised that not only international experts can have a strong professional community, but that this approach can be extended to dialogue in other spheres. Then people from different countries will definitely talk to each other with interest and in the same language.
Therefore, in addition to political scientists, Russian language teachers and young journalists from Africa and the Middle East came to us. This year the spectrum has expanded further. Engineers and doctors have now been added to the list of categories.
– What is the geography of the programme, how many countries have already sent their young professionals to improve their skills?
– During the existence of the ‘New Generation programme’ project, specialists from more than 45 countries have visited Russia. This includes most of the Near Abroad, the Far East (China, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, etc.), the Middle East (Iran, Lebanon, Libya, UAE, Palestine, Saudi Arabia), various parts of the African continent (from South Africa and Botswana to Ethiopia and Algeria, from Kenya to Senegal, etc.) and even European countries, whose representatives continue to come to us despite sanctions and threats against them. Friendly Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, and Slovakia are included as well. Sometimes people even come from Latin America, from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia.
In general, all flags are our guests here. It is also useful for the people themselves; they have a chance to ramp up their cultural intelligence and learn how to communicate with representatives of various countries and continents.
– What can we say about the current group? Who are its participants, what is included in the programme?
– In 2024, we divided the events into several blocks. For example, doctors chose the specialties where Russian healthcare is the most competitive. This allowed students to familiarise themselves with advanced technologies in the field of regenerative medicine, oncology, urology, cardiology, genetics and flexible electronics during the internship. They gained practical medical experience in Sechenovka clinics, mastered new equipment and will thus be able to capitalise on their skills in their home countries. After all, such specialists will be worth their weight in gold there.
We sent the engineers to Siberia, where there were three tracks: artificial intelligence in medicine, information technology and photonics and smart cities. Thanks to the staff of Novosibirsk State University, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academic Park (at the legendary Akademgorodok), the participants saw the entire production cycle from scientific development to its practical application.
Our Russian language specialists, of course, cooperated with the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. They had a series of expert sessions at university sites, familiarised themselves with the achievements of Russian scientists in the field of philology, and gained advanced training in the field of teaching Russian abroad.
Journalists traditionally attended a course and completed an internship at Russia Today and Sputnik, meanwhile experts in international relations prepared for the defence of their work at IMEMO RAS under the guidance of our famous scientists.
– InteRussia is not only for business tasks, but also humanitarian contacts, communication between professional communities, cultural exchange. How would you characterise the participants’ introduction to Russian culture and intercultural communication?
– We strive to make small groups of 10 people. This gives participants the opportunity to get to know each other better and, as I previously said, to understand the culture of other countries. At the same time, they get to know Russian counterparts, getting a chance to read lectures and share their experiences with Russian youth. Then, in their works, they should reflect the Russian specificity, feel and describe our approaches in different areas.
In addition, a cultural programme is designed for each event. In 2024, foreign youth were lucky to receive a tour of the Victory Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery, along with visiting the Kremlin and VDNKh, not to mention the traditional sightseeing tour of Moscow. In Novosibirsk, they were taken to the local opera and ballet theatre and to one of the best zoos in Russia, in St. Petersburg there was the Hermitage, Peterhof and many other iconic places. In general, we try to make sure that the cities can be seen with their own eyes, as well as getting acquainted with classical art and, at the same time, not getting bored.
– Is there any feedback from the participants? Perhaps you are collecting reviews or analysing their recommendations?
– At the end of each year, a survey of the programme’s participants is conducted. Participants answer questions about what initially motivated them, to which degree these expectations were fulfilled, what pros and cons of the trip they noted for themselves. At the same time, the components of the event (for example, the cultural programme, the business programme, etc.) are evaluated on a ten-point scale. In addition, participants are asked to give feedback in the form of recommendations for the development of the ‘New Generation’ programme, as well as in the form of a description of the ideal event from their point of view.
– On what subject and at what time are the next internships and new groups planned?
– We are still working on plans for 2025, but we are traditionally looking towards international relations, journalism and Russian studies. I hope that we will be able to do something in the field of medicine, energy, agrobiotechnology and even acting.
For accurate information, you can follow the updates on the website of the Gorchakov Foundation, as well as on the website and social networks of Rossotrudnichestvo.
– How can one apply for participation, what is required of a foreign citizen to participate?
– So far, we have several formal restrictions in connection with ‘New Generation’. Firstly, it is the age bracket 25-35 years. We hope, however, that in the near future we will be able to expand this framework. The second is the lack of Russian citizenship; we only consider foreigners permanently residing outside of Russia. Thirdly, you can participate only once, and, of course, each track has its own professional criteria, which our partners help us determine.
– What do you wish the graduates of the programme and what do you wish the new future students?
– It seems to me that everything is quite simple here. I would like graduates not to lose touch with Russian Cultural Centres, join new projects and initiatives related to cooperation with our country, share the experience gained during the trip with their colleagues at home and, of course, to describe their impressions to friends, relatives and subscribers on social networks. Such an open-minded look often breaks down stereotypes. It is more delicate, cleaner and stronger than any propaganda. If you manage to become an ambassador of the programme, then it will almost be a combo.
I recommend potential participants to attach all documents carefully; we thoroughly analyse each portfolio, conduct interviews, evaluate academic and practical experience. In addition, you need to understand clearly what topic you are going to Russia with, because during the internship you also need to write a research paper. It is best if this project is somehow connected with our country, so that the trip becomes not just a visit out of interest, but part of the work on an ongoing project, for the successful implementation of which the competencies of our specialists or Russian technologies are important. In general, such internships are a chance to find new friends, make professional contacts, adopt the best practices and, upon returning home and enriching your project with them, to succeed.
– Dmitry Valerievich, thank you very much for the interview!
Ksenia Muratshina, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
