Research & Expertise News at HSE University

The annual Vysokovsky Forum, organised by the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development, was held at HSE University. Officials, business representatives, teachers, and experts gathered to discuss whether development projects should be adapted to residents' needs, whether New Moscow could become a new centre of attraction, and what benefits HSE will gain from launching a new academic department in partnership with A101 Group.

‘Technologies of the Future: A Common Global Space or Every Nation for Itself?’ was the title of a session held on June 19, 2025, with the support of Alfa-Bank at this year’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2025). The discussion featured HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov and was moderated by journalist, TV presenter, and public figure Ksenia Sobchak.

Researchers at HSE University and the AIRI Institute have proposed a method for quickly fine-tuning neural networks. Their approach involves processing data in groups and then optimally shuffling these groups to improve their interactions. The method outperforms alternatives in image generation and analysis, as well as in fine-tuning text models, all while requiring less memory and training time. The results have been presented at the NeurIPS 2024 Conference.

At the dawn of the 21st century, humans are increasingly becoming not just observers, but active participants in the technological revolution. Among the breakthroughs with the potential to change the lives of millions, brain–computer interfaces (BCIs)—systems that connect the brain to external devices—hold a special place. These technologies were the focal point of the spring International School ‘A New Generation of Neurointerfaces,’ which took place at HSE University.

Researchers from HSE University and the Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences have proposed a new method of data analysis: tunnel clustering. It allows for the rapid identification of groups of similar objects and requires fewer computational resources than traditional methods. Depending on the data configuration, the algorithm can operate dozens of times faster than its counterparts. Thestudy was published in the journal Doklady Rossijskoj Akademii Nauk. Mathematika, Informatika, Processy Upravlenia.

Researchers from HSE University in Perm have developed NeuroSkate, a neural network that identifies the movements of skaters on video and determines the correctness of the elements performed. The algorithm has already demonstrated success with the basic elements, and further development of the model will improve its accuracy in identifying complex jumps. 

The Programme Committee of the 25^th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development has summed up the initial results. In 2025, 1,384 people from 24 countries and 29 Russian regions participated in the conference, with 335 of them delivering presentations.

Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain used eye-tracking to examine how bilinguals switch between languages in response to context shifts. Script differences were found to slow down this process. When letters appear unfamiliar—such as the Latin alphabet in a Russian-language text—the brain does not immediately switch to the other language, even when the person is aware they are in a bilingual setting. The article has been published in Bilingualism: Language and Cognition.