Opening the conference, Mr. Dell’Ambrogio emphasized the important role of science which unites peoples across the globe and facilitates progress. Additionally, the State Secretary visited two Russian leading universities, St. Petersburg State University (SPSU) and the National Research University ITMO, where he had meetings with their administrations and researchers. Both universities have on-going bilateral projects with Switzerland. The meeting at SPSU took place in the historical building of the Twelve Colleges designed by Domenico Trezzini.

In the evening on May 17, Consul General Roger Kull hosted a reception in honor of the State Secretary and his delegation. The event gathered leading researchers of the local universities and research institutes who cooperate with Switzerland. The highlight of the evening was a meeting with and talking to the alumni of the Swiss Government Scholarship Program who studied in Switzerland back in the 90’s and now are holding leading positions at their institutions.

You can find more information about the meeting of State Secretary Mauro Dell’Ambrogio at the St. Petersburg State University here (in Russian).