The 4th International Forum of University Cities was held in Tomsk State University from November 27 to November 30. It became the first event held within the Big University project where all Tomsk universities and representatives of city and regional administrations gathered to discuss the development strategy of Tomsk as a college-town and creation of an inter-university campus. Special attention was paid to the background that Tomsk already has to achieve this goal.
When opening the plenary session, the rector of TSU Eduard Galazhinsky told about the difference between a university city and a college-town. While universities are not an influential force in a university city, they have a significant impact on the development of infrastructure,
human capital and technology in a college-town. Developing universities in Tomsk helps to improve the lives of Tomsk residents: the campus is a harmonious part of the city’s infrastructure, and the activities of universities attract large partner companies to the city.
The forum included round tables moderated by Viktor Rulevsky, the rector of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics («Modern digital technologies and the renewed environment for the universities»), Viktor Vlasov, the rector of Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building («College-town as the impetus for the urban and the university development in Tomsk»), and representatives of Siberian State Medical University («Contemporary technologies in preventing alimentary dependent diseases in the university environment»).
Andrey Antonov, Tomsk Region Deputy Governor for Economics, told about the analysis of the advantages of global innovation centers, each of which has a set of promising characteristics. Among them are developed areas of microelectronics, the creation of industrial equipment, chemical products and new materials. According to the Deputy Governor, all of these areas are represented in the economy of the Tomsk region, and this is the groundwork that Tomsk already has to become a college-town.
Source: www.tsu.ru