In October 2010, France’s Higher Education Minister, Valérie Pécresse, met her Russian counterpart Andrei Fursenko to discuss strengthening the long tradition of university cooperation between the two countries. Today, around 500 French students attend Russian universities, and 71 Franco-Russian programs are available. The main outcome of the visit was a renewed university cooperation initiative, which will entail regular meetings of university deans from both countries. Another agreed objective is to better link university curricula to business needs in a fluent dialogue across country borders.

Francis Vérillaud was part of the delegation that accompanied the French minister to Russia. A former French diplomat, Francis Vérillaud has been Vice-President of the elite Sciences Po University in Paris since 2002 and its Director of International Affairs and Exchanges since 1995. He helped open the institute to international students and faculties and set up international educational and science programs, including double degrees with prestigious schools abroad such as the London School of Economics and the MGIMO in Moscow.

He spoke to ModernRussia.com about the challenges of improving higher education in Russia, drawing a parallel with the reform currently underway in France, and shared insights on how to make studying in Russia more attractive.