From August 28 to September 1, 2026, Samara National Research University hosted an introductory blog tour as part of the federal youth and student tourism program "StudTurizm". This large-scale initiative, implemented by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education since 2021 and integrated into the national project "Youth and Children" in 2025, unites over 280 Russian universities across 85 regions and includes international tracks with CIS countries. The program's target audience comprises students, postgraduates, young scientists, and specialists aged 18 to 35, who are given the opportunity to travel across Russia with accommodation in the campuses and dormitories of host universities at a minimal cost.
The delegation to Samara included six talented media creators, bloggers, and journalists—winners and participants of the All-Russian "TopBLOG" contest (hosted on the "Russia – Land of Opportunities" platform). They represented leading universities and organizations: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise, North-Caucasian Federal University, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Penza State University, and the All-Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok". The combined audience reach of the participants totals several million subscribers, making such trips a highly effective tool for promoting Russian science and education.
The four-day visit featured a rich and diverse program. The guests visited advanced research laboratories, including the additive technologies lab, where they were shown the capabilities of 3D printing. Of particular interest was the Center for Space Data Reception and Processing, where participants observed how the Earth's surface is monitored and spacecraft are managed. The university's Student Design Bureaus left a strong impression, as they are the spaces where students, guided by expert mentors, develop real-world models of rocket and space equipment.
The cultural and educational part of the program included tours of Samara and the "Samarskaya Luka" National Park, visits to the "Park of Friendship of Peoples" Ethnocultural Complex, the Ilya Repin Museum, the University Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics, the Aircraft Engine History Center with its rich collection, the Primakov Center, as well as the planetarium and the "Smart Butterfly House"—a unique space combining one of the largest collections of lepidopterans in Russia with a virtual reality hall. The guests also strolled through the Botanic Garden, which serves as a vital research base for biologists. Sports and health facilities were not overlooked: the guests tried the "Luna" climbing wall and the GTO (Ready for Labor and Defense) testing center.
The highlight of the business program was a meeting with University Rector Vladimir Bogatyrev, which was also attended by student leaders and representatives of student media. The conversation lasted over an hour and covered a wide range of topics, from the mission of a modern university to specific development projects. The Rector emphasized that the university has long ceased to be just an educational venue. Today, it acts as a multifunctional center for societal development, where education, science, innovation, sports, and creativity organically intersect.
"Universities are not just about teaching and science," noted Vladimir Bogatyrev. "They create new products, develop the startup movement, and integrate into the urban environment. Student volunteers participate in community clean-ups, help the elderly, and donate blood. Essentially, the university becomes a place where schoolchildren, youth, and adults come—to the laboratories, the Botanic Garden, to events. And at the same time, students go out into the city with their own initiatives."
Special attention was paid to inter-university cooperation. The Rector acknowledged that, despite the natural competition between universities for ranking positions, collaboration has noticeably intensified in recent years. Consortia and associations are being created, and network educational programs are expanding. As an example, he cited Samara University's initiative to create two consortia to support student startups: now, students from different regions can find missing specialists in other universities—such as programmers or marketers—and form interdisciplinary teams.
"Universities face complex tasks that cannot be solved alone," the Rector explained. "We have to unite, create associations, and seek answers together. This helps us both to build friendships and to develop."
Discussing the future of education, Vladimir Bogatyrev shared his vision: with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the focus will shift from narrow subject areas to broad erudition and an understanding of the big picture of the world.
"The person of the future will know how the world works as a whole, and intelligent assistants will prompt them on the details," he said. "We will return to the archetype of the universal intellectual that a scientist was 200 years ago, who understood biology, physics, and engineering alike. This will happen faster than we think."
He also noted that the university has already implemented a system of individual educational trajectories, where students can freely choose additional disciplines from different training programs, and thousands of students are currently taking advantage of this opportunity.
During the meeting, the Rector also spoke about plans to renovate the Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics and to further develop student sports. The university operates 33 sports sections, and, in the Rector's opinion, sports are no less important for intellectual development than science. The guests also learned that it was at Samara University that such all-Russian youth movements as the "Student Spring" festival and the legendary Grushinsky Festival of author's song originated.
"Student Spring started here simply as an informal gathering for students from different universities, and it eventually spread across the country," the Rector emphasized. "It's wonderful when an idea lives and grows on its own, without commercialization."
The outcome of the blog tour will be a series of photo and video materials, long-read articles, interviews, and expert posts, which will allow the multi-million audience of subscribers to learn about the scientific, educational, and cultural potential of Samara University and the entire Samara region.
According to Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the "StudTurizm" movement is becoming truly large-scale and systemic: "Our large team works across different time zones. These are ambassadors, media ambassadors, mentors, and university organizing committees."
Svetlana Nekhorosheva, Head of the federal "StudTurizm" program, notes: "'StudTurizm' helps universities open up to each other. Through these trips, students get acquainted with the scientific infrastructure of the regions, meet industrial partners, and better understand what opportunities for education and research exist in the country. Such trips often become the starting point for new projects, internships, and professional decisions."
The implementation of such off-site media events is based on the directive of the President of the Russian Federation on the development of academic, student, and popular science tourism, the Regulations on the "StudTurizm" program approved by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov on July 4, 2022, and the Strategy for the Development of Popular Science Tourism in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2031. The project contributes to increasing the attractiveness of regional universities, stimulates the influx of applicants and young specialists, and fosters a sustained interest among young people in domestic science and technological achievements.
