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Imports account for over 15% of about a quarter of Russian manufacturing industries’ expenditures. With the ruble weakening in value, manufacturers’ expenses on raw materials and components they have to purchase from abroad will rise, which will likely bring their profits to zero. According to projections by the HSE Centre of Development Institute, 64% of import-dependent industries run the risk of becoming unprofitable if the exchange rate reaches 80 rubles to the dollar.

Why is space so fascinating? Who is hindered by the Earth's geocorona? What personal qualities are essential for a research physicist, and how will academic careers regain their prestige? These were the questions that came up in HSE News Service’s interview of Igor Balyukin, a Senior Lecturer of the HSE Faculty of Physics and the winner of the 'Best Work Performed by Young Scientists' nomination category of the RAS Space Research Institute competition.

HSE University has found it easier than other universities to adapt to the current situation under the pandemic and transition to online education. On March 25, at a press conference at TASS, Russia’s largest news agency, HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov spoke about the transition and shared his predictions about what the near future holds for education development.

Global warming has caused the total area of more than 600 Greater Caucasus glaciers to drop by approximately 16%, according to an international research team that includes Stanislav Kutuzov, geographer from HSE University. Glaciers without rock debris coverage have decreased more than those with debris coverage.

On March 23, the working group of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education devoted to university education met again to discuss how education should be organized as Russia seeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In particular, the group discussed tactics involving volunteerism on university campuses, examples from universities abroad, and developing student questionnaires in order to pinpoint the issues that Russian universities have encountered in their transition to distance learning.

For students interested in pursuing careers in international law or economic integration, HSE University’s Faculty of Law offers the Master’s Programme ‘Law of International Trade, Finance and Economic Integration’. Previously taught in both Russian and English, the programme is now taught in English only. HSE News Service spoke with two first-year international students about their studies, living in Moscow, and their overall impressions of the programme.

The HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) has presented data about the current conditions in which Russia’s schools and universities must now transition to online learning. According to their data, only 11.4% of university instructors with a PhD (or Doctor of Sciences degree) used online tools in their teaching in the last year.

Researchers at the HSE Institute of Education have used regional data to describe, for the first time in Russia, how inequality in access to education affects different parts of the Russian Federation. The research findings reveal that the key determining factors are the local economy and the proportion of people with a university degree: urbanised regions with well-developed economies and educated inhabitants are more likely to have good-quality schools, with a large proportion of students scoring highly in the Unified State Exam and going on to university. In contrast, poorer regions with low human capital see many of their school students drop out after the 9th grade, limiting their chances of further education.