Agreements on the construction of an interuniversity campus in Zabaikalsky Krai were signed on 12 February 2025 at Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The head of the region, Alexander Osipov, signed the agreements with several industrial partners – Udokan Copper, Norilsk Nickel, Mangazeya, Mosstroytrans Corporation and Highland Gold – with the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Andrey Omelchuk, in attendance. Total funding for 2026–2028 will amount to RUB 3.2 billion.
“The region’s collaboration with industrials partners will unlock new opportunities for the development of Zabaikalsky Krai. It is especially noteworthy that representatives of the real sector of the economy are already prepared to make concrete financial commitments even at the design stage. This engagement will guarantee additional financial support for the project and accelerate the process of building the campus and equipping it with state-of-the-art technologies and infrastructure,” noted Deputy Minister Omelchuk.Governor Osipov emphasised that that the future campus would have both a humanitarian and mining focus.
“Zabaikalye is a region with vast mineral reserves and a large number of mining projects. At the same time, we serve as a key hub for cooperation between Russia and China. All this affects our quality of life and our economy. That is why we are establishing a university campus aimed at finding solutions to technological, research and scientific challenges and to training a skilled workforce,” said Governor Osipov.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Udokan Copper highlighted the importance of training specialists: “As the largest enterprise in the region, we are very interested in, and concerned about, the development of a talent pipeline. That is why we are making efforts to promote education. With our participation, the Eureka centre was opened in Chita, modelled after the national Sirius initiative. In Novaya Chara, the innovative Kuprum training centre was outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.”
The new campus’s student body will include undergraduate and graduate students as well as medical residents from Transbaikal State University, the Chita State Medical Academy, the Transbaikal Agricultural Institute, the Transbaikal Institute of Railway Transport and the Chita Institute of Baikal State University. The campus will offer new educational programmes for training specialists in mineral resource management, geotechnology, transportation and logistics systems, and biomedical and humanitarian technologies. In addition to higher education, the campus will also provide opportunities for professional development and continuing education.
A network of modern campuses is being developed across the country in line with a directive from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Seventeen of these student campuses are currently being designed or built in various regions across Russia. The number of campuses will increase to 25 by 2030 and to 40 by 2036.
Implementation of the federal project “Creation of a Network of Modern Campuses” has been ongoing since 2025 as part of the “Youth and Children” national project.
