Autumn visit to the Komi republic has delivered generous fruits for the further cooperation

Lyubov Kontievskaya (left), Head of the directorate of sport and tourism of Ukhta, Tatyana Krestovskih, Head of the Department of Economy of USTU, Valeria Golubeva, Head of international department of USTU, Tor Gjertsen, Leader of the Thematic Network on Local and Regional development, Tatyana Filippova, First Vice-head of Ukhta municipality, Sergey Sobolev, Vice-head of Ukhta municipality in social sphere, Olga Sotnikova, vice -rector for study affairs, Georgiy Korshunov, Rector assistant in external cooperation

September 2010 started for the UArctic Thematic Network on Local and Regional Development with extensive program within the Komi republic, where new members of the TN – Ukhta State Technical University and Syktyvkar State University - are located. Both Universities are the UArctic members which take active part in the program “Bachelor of Northern Studies” together with Finnmark and Bodo University Colleges. Furthermore, Ukhta and Syktyvkar have been working in close cooperation for many years on other projects too. So, it’s become more logically to start work within the Thematic Network together.

Great number of meetings and presentations were arranged with the Leader of the project, associate professor Tor Gjertsen, on 3.09 – 13.09 in Komi. Started in Syktyvkar, where the meetings with representatives of public, educational, governmental institutions were successfully held, the program got its continuation in several northern rural places in Izhma region, where good connections with municipalities, local entrepreneurs and social organizations were established, thereupon was continued in Ukhta, where meetings with academic staff, top management of the University, municipal authorities and political agents were arranged, and was returned to Syktyvkar, where achieved result were summarized.

Thereby, more than 20 meetings were held in Komi during the week and activities of the Thematic Network and the University of Arctic have got great publicity in the republic.

Now the team from Syktyvkar and Ukhta is working on the uniting of all single ideas and suggestions into one effective working project that will be helpful in solving relevant issues of the Komi region.

It was also decided that one of the first steps in the developing of partnership with the republic will become participation of two representatives from Izhma region in the Gargia conference in October 2010: Marina Terentjeva, teacher of the Economy Department of USTU and native Komi-Izhemka, who already developed her own project for enlarging capacity and developing infrastructure of the region, and Irina Koroleva, experienced practitioner in northern agriculture in Izhma region.

It’s also important to mention that according to the agreed plan the first local development workshop in the Komi will be held in spring 2011.

Good start for fruitful cooperation and internationalization of the Thematic Network activities was established during this autumn week and we’re looking forward to delivering new results and achieving the goals that we are focusing on in the context of developing of the circumpolar North.