BRICS Representatives Discuss Ranking of BRICS Universities

The Russian Ministry of Education and Science organized the first meeting on the creation of a ranking of universities in BRICS countries on 17–18 September 2024. The meeting was attended by representatives of education ministries and experts from the professional community of BRICS countries. During the meeting, the parties exchanged experience in developing and applying rankings, and discussed measures to bolster trust in rankings and other assessments.

In June 2023, at a meeting in South Africa, BRICS education ministers noted the importance of considering approaches to creating rankings and assessments of BRICS universities. On 11 June 2024, a meeting of BRICS education ministers in Kazan confirmed their intention to support and develop initiatives to this end and, in particular, to hold regular seminars on academic leadership.

Russia was represented at the seminar by Dmitry Grishankov, deputy chairman of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and an adviser to the president of the Russian Union of Rectors. He spoke about Russia’s experience, in particular based on the example of the ‘Three University Missions’ family of rankings, and also proposed discussing the BRICS Principles that aim to develop rankings of BRICS universities, which were proposed at the Congress of the Russian Union of Rectors on 4 July 2024.

All the seminar participants noted the importance of creating rankings of BRICS universities, arguing that the existing global rankings do not meet the interests or take into account the unique national features of each BRICS country. They also supported the idea of using the BRICS Principles as a common platform for ranking universities and agreed to discuss the revision of the Principles taking into account the proposals of BRICS countries at the second seminar that is scheduled to be held during the BRICS Rectors’ Forum on 17–18 October 2024. Russia will present its version of the pilot ranking of BRICS universities, which is being drafted based on an initiative from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and the Russian Union of Rectors per the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at one of the sessions of the BRICS Rectors’ Forum.

The Roscongress Foundation manages the events of Russia’s BRICS chairship.