Society news at HSE University

On February 19, the award ceremony for the 2015 Startup of the Year competition was held at Moscow’s Digital October Centre. Nearly 300 applications were submitted for the competition from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. Twelve of the best projects made it to the finals in four main categories, as well as in a special category called ‘People’s Love.’ The winning teams included students and alumni of the Higher School of Economics.

On 5th February, American diplomat and political scientist Henry Kissinger visited the HSE Faculty of World Economics and International Affairs. On Kissinger’s initiative the meeting was organised as a seminar for a dozen or so of the brightest young academics at HSE, MGIMO and RAS institutes. The best master’s students were also invited. The event was chaired by Sergey Karaganov, Dean of the Faculty.

The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania published its annual Global Go To Think Tank Index 2015. The index authors have been included the HSE laboratory in the list of Top Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks for the second year in a row.

Working with fine art is not only about well-known artists and beautiful paintings; it also requires precise calculation, analysis, management, and even psychology. Art can be a business, and an entirely interesting business at that. HSE alumna Ekaterina Plastinina, who founded and co-owns the art agency Alma Arts, sat down with Success Builder to discuss how to become a connoisseur of the auction business, how to successfully purchase a painting, and why Dubai is better than London.

The media industry is one of today's most dynamic. Illegal downloading has succumbed to the laziness of the honest user, who is now able to watch films online for just 30 rubles. The Managing Director of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Andrei Gromkovskiy, tells Success Builder about the danger and allure of investing in media products, as well as whether there are ways to manipulate people through TV and whether art or business is most important in the world of film.

During gym class in elementary school, Oksana Akhmedova, a graduate from the HSE Faculty of Law, was part of a special group for physically weak children. But this didn't stop her from running an 86-kilometer trail marathon last year that took nearly 15 hours. How does one find the motivation to change, and is this even a question of motivation? Do we always know our own limits? As we start counting down to the New Year, when people often make resolutions to live a better life, Oksana tells us how we can truly achieve our goals.

Science had already moved into the sphere of consumption in the 20th century, and we now treat technological innovation as if it’s simply a new item on a restaurant menu or the premier of the latest blockbuster film. Science works for everyone personally, and this ‘scientific marketing’ is the merit of new-era scientists – the ‘Steve Jobses’ who are capable of not only inventing, but also selling their inventions. Alexey Rolich, who is a graduate of HSE MIEM, the head of the 3D Visualization Laboratory, and the creator of the Public Charger project, which has received an UMNIK grant, tells Success Builder how to make money in science.

This autumn HSE Business Incubator came 14th overall and 7th in Europe in the rankings of best university incubators around the world. HSE News went to meet the team to find out how it works and how it helps prime startups.