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Universities from Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Indonesia are creating an international research network. The signing of the Manifesto of the Consortium of Satellite Laboratories for Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability took place in the framework of the International Partners' Week at HSE University-St Petersburg.

On May 22, Forbes Education released its updated ranking of the 100 best universities in Russia for 2025. HSE University retained its second-place position, having established itself as the university with the highest employer reputation. Among the top 20 were 12 universities from Moscow, three from St Petersburg, two from Tatarstan, and one each from the Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk, and Tomsk regions.

HSE University–St Petersburg has launched International Partners' Week, which brings together more than 100 representatives of leading global universities. The grand opening ceremony took place on May 20 in the new HSE building on Vasilievsky Island.

On May 8, 2025, in Moscow, in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, strategic agreements were signed between the HSE University and two of China's top institutions, Peking University and Tsinghua University. The event was attended by Nikita Anisimov, Rector of HSE University, Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, and Gong Qihuang, President of Peking University. The signing unfolded during the official visit of the Chinese delegation to Russia, coinciding with the commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of Victory Day.

For the first time, psycholinguists from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, in collaboration with colleagues from the USA and Germany, recorded eye movements during a test to assess narrative skills in young children and adults. The researchers found that story comprehension depends on plot structure, and that children aged five to six tend to struggle with questions about protagonists' internal states. The study findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.

In dynamic games, a Markov equilibrium involves strategies that guide players' behaviour based on the current state of the game, rather than its entire history. This approach is effective when players have access to complete information. But when uncertainty arises in the game—for instance, when players are unsure of who they are dealing with—this approach can become problematic. Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Professor at Harvard University, addressed this issue in a paper presented at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development held at HSE University from April 15 to 18, 2025.

Russians with children feel happier than those without children. At the same time, the number of children influences the assessment of happiness: the more children Russians have, the happier they feel. These conclusions were outlined inthe report ‘More Children, More Happiness: The Impact of the Number of Children on Russians’ Assessment of Happiness,’ presented at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development, held on April 15–18 at HSE University. The study was conducted by Elena Churilova, Senior Research Fellow, and Dmitry Jdanov, Chief Research Fellowat HSE International Laboratory for Population and Health.

HSE University and the Centre for International Policy Research (Qatar) have agreed to collaborate in the field of social sciences, with plans for joint research, academic exchanges, and regular expert engagement. The agreement was signed during the roundtable ‘State Capacity and State Resilience in the Global South,’ held as part of the 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference at HSE University.