ST. PETERSBURG STATE MINING INSTITUTE
INTERNATIONAL     OFFICE:
 Providing a Focus for International Partnerships and Joint Ventures

 Participation in global activities is a necessary condition for a national university like St.Petersburg Mining Institute (the Institute) and since its creation in 1773 the Institute has provided initiatives leading to a wide range of international partnerships and joint ventures. This office is the principal point of contact between the Institute and the international community. The objectives of the office are as follows:
· To promote the teaching and research activities of the Institute through the involvement of faculty, staff, students and alumni in international activities;
· To advance public awareness and understanding of global issues and strengthen the Institute’s international opportunities and involvement, especially taking into consideration one of the main areas of our research the energy sector that has become one of the most important issues in the world today.
To meet its objectives, the Institute’s International Office imperatives are as follows:
· To provide support, advice and assistance to the academic and administrative units of the Institute to facilitate internationalization in their respective spheres;
· To serve as a resource center for information and for professional expertise pertaining to international opportunities, programs, projects and related activities;
· To stimulate involvement in and encourage the development of projects and other activities relevant to internationalization at the Institute, in concert with institutional academic strategic priorities and in co-operation with other institutions and organizations as appropriate;
· To serve as the focal point for the Institute’s relationships with international agencies, organizations and business enterprises at the local, regional, national and international level. This will include the review, co-ordination and administrative approval of proposals and budgets for international activities, including international research proposals/projects to be undertaken in the name of the Institute that are being submitted for external funding. In co-operation with academic and administrative units, the Institute’s International Office will also assist in the negotiation of international projects with domestic and/or international agencies;
· To ensure the effective negotiation and management of the Institute’s academic linkage agreements with international institutions and foreign governments, including linkage agreements for joint research projects, and faculty and student exchanges.
Internationalization is an integral part of the Institute’s mission, and an important part of the Institute’s academic fabric and fundamental character. Important changes in the world’s structure that followed the process of globalization have a great impact, especially in the natural recourses and energy sector. The Institute, being one of the most important academic institutions providing training in these areas has a commitment to the universal ideas of cooperation and collaboration and aims to become a meeting place for everyone sharing our ideas and goals.