Project Team of ‘Success and Self-Sustainability of the Individual in a Changing World’ Wins Russian Science Foundation Grant
Researchers from HSE University will receive funding from the Russian Science Foundation to study such forms of student employment as freelancing, self-employment, and entrepreneurship, all of which have been actively developing in recent years. The research will shed light on the new opportunities and challenges encountered by students and early-career specialists in the labour market. It will also aid in the development of effective strategies for their successful adaptation and development.
Changes in the world and the labour market mean that early-career specialists need have new skills, such as the ability to act without specific instructions and to make decisions independently. These competencies are grouped under terms such as ‘agency’, ‘independence’, ‘proactivity’, ‘initiative’, ‘entrepreneurial spirit’, etc, and are widely studied in Russia and abroad.
The increased focus on this topic is the result of changes in the economy and society, a phenomenon sometimes referred to in sociology circles as ‘destructuring’. In the labour market, this manifests as a growth in the popularity of alternative forms of work alongside traditional corporate employment. These alternative forms include platform work, freelancing, entrepreneurship, etc. In addition, so-called ‘corporate entrepreneurship’ is increasingly sought after in organisations.
However, scientists and practitioners do not fully agree on which qualities a person should have in order to be successful in new employment circumstances, nor how to develop these qualities.
In order to address these challenges, researchers from HSE University will study the trajectories of students and graduates of higher education in new social and economic conditions, assess the role of education in forming and supporting non-traditional forms of employment, and examine the characteristics that contribute to productive forms of agency. All of this will be done as part of the strategic project 'Success and Self-Sustainability of the Individual in a Changing World' implemented as part of the Priority 2030 programme.
Head of the Laboratory for Human Capital and Education Research at the HSE University Institute of Education and head of the research project
‘Research into non-traditional forms of employment among students has major significance in modern society, where technology—and digitalisation especially—is changing the traditional models of business processes. The results of this research can shed some light on new the new opportunities and challenges facing students and early-career specialists, as well as help to develop effective strategies for their successful adaptation and development. I am confident that this research will produce valuable theoretical and practical results.’
Yulia Koreshnikova, supervisor of the strategic project 'Success and Self-Sustainability of the Individual in a Changing World', explains that the researchers have set themselves a range of tasks, including testing theoretical models for describing the work paths of students, identifying the most common types of non-traditional employment, and assessing important competencies in freelancing, self-employment, and entrepreneurship for early-career specialists. The second group of tasks is related to determining the role of higher education in the formation of sought-after skills in new conditions, with the goal of determining which organisational and teaching conditions must be created to train students in higher education.
Supervisor of the strategic project 'Success and Self-Sustainability of the Individual in a Changing World'
‘Our project will help to systematise knowledge of non-traditional formats of employment and the higher education-related needs of employers, employees, and future businesspeople. We will also determine how universities can meet this challenge.’
The members of the research group headed by Pavel Sorokin are: Vera Maltseva, Yulia Koreshnikova, Natalia Shirkova, Alexandr Timofeev, Darya Pavlyuk, Timofey Redko, and Yulia Vyatskaya.
See also:
When a Virus Steps on a Mine: Ancient Mechanism of Infected Cell Self-Destruction Discovered
When a virus enters a cell, it disrupts the cell’s normal functions. It was previously believed that the cell's protective response to the virus triggered cellular self-destruction. However, a study involving bioinformatics researchers at HSE University has revealed a different mechanism: the cell does not react to the virus itself but to its own transcripts, which become abnormally long. The study has been published in Nature.
Researchers Identify Link between Bilingualism and Cognitive Efficiency
An international team of researchers, including scholars from HSE University, has discovered that knowledge of a foreign language can improve memory performance and increase automaticity when solving complex tasks. The higher a person’s language proficiency, the stronger the effect. The results have been published in the journal Brain and Cognition.
Lost Signal: How Solar Activity Silenced Earth's Radiation
Researchers from HSE University and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed seven years of data from the ERG (Arase) satellite and, for the first time, provided a detailed description of a new type of radio emission from near-Earth space—the hectometric continuum, first discovered in 2017. The researchers found that this radiation appears a few hours after sunset and disappears one to three hours after sunrise. It was most frequently observed during the summer months and less often in spring and autumn. However, by mid-2022, when the Sun entered a phase of increased activity, the radiation had completely vanished—though the scientists believe the signal may reappear in the future. The study has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
Banking Crises Drive Biodiversity Loss
Economists from HSE University, MGIMO University, and Bocconi University have found that financial crises have a significant negative impact on biodiversity and the environment. This relationship appears to be bi-directional: as global biodiversity declines, the likelihood of new crises increases. The study examines the status of populations encompassing thousands of species worldwide over the past 50 years. The article has been published in Economics Letters, an international journal.
Scientists Discover That the Brain Responds to Others’ Actions as if They Were Its Own
When we watch someone move their finger, our brain doesn’t remain passive. Research conducted by scientists from HSE University and Lausanne University Hospital shows that observing movement activates the motor cortex as if we were performing the action ourselves—while simultaneously ‘silencing’ unnecessary muscles. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.
HSE Scientists Reveal What Drives Public Trust in Science
Researchers at HSE ISSEK have analysed the level of trust in scientific knowledge in Russian society and the factors shaping attitudes and perceptions. It was found that trust in science depends more on everyday experience, social expectations, and the perceived promises of science than on objective knowledge. The article has been published in Universe of Russia.
HSE Seeks New Ideas for AI Agents: Initiative Competition Launched
HSE University is inviting researchers and lecturers to present concepts for new digital products based on artificial intelligence. The best projects will receive expert and technological support. Applications are open until December 19, 2025.
IDLab: Fascinating Research, Tough Deadlines, and Academic Drive
The International Laboratory of Intangible-driven Economy (IDLab) was established at the HSE campus in Perm 11 years ago. Its expertise in data processing and analysis allows researchers to combine fundamental studies with applied projects, including the development of risk and cybersecurity models for Sber. The head of the laboratory, Professor Petr Parshakov, and Senior Research Fellow Professor Mariya Molodchik spoke to the HSE News Service about IDLab’s work.
HSE Lecturers Awarded Yandex ML Prize 2025
The Yandex ML Prize is awarded to lecturers and heads of educational programmes who contribute to the development of artificial intelligence in Russia. This year, 10 laureates were selected from 300 applicants, including three members of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science (FCS). A special Hall of Fame award was also presented for contributions to the establishment of machine learning as an academic field. One of the recipients was Dmitry Vetrov, Research Professor at the HSE FCS.
HSE University and Banking and Finance Academy of Uzbekistan Sign Memorandum on Scientific Cooperation
The partnership aims to foster academic collaboration in the fields of global economics, sustainable development, and Islamic finance. Strengthening academic ties with Uzbekistan represents a promising direction for scientific exchanges and the implementation of international projects in sustainable development.