About the network

INREES is a joint effort of five universities: University of Helsinki, University of Glasgow, University of Bremen, Södertörn University, and University of Tartu. We have previously collaborated with the European University in St. Petersburg and HSE University (campuses in Moscow and St.Petersburg). The network thus operates both on national and international levels.

The network is funded by the KONE foundation for 2020-2023 and coordinated by the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki. The network aims at systematically developing the students’ knowledge and skills that shape the students into specialists in the field of Russian and East European studies.

One of the main features of INREES is the ability for the students to spend one or two months in Russia or in Finland. During this time, the students are able to finalise their on-going research projects or produce new scholarly outputs with the joint supervision of both their home and exchange institutions. The students visiting Helsinki have the possibility to defend their doctoral dissertations at the University of Helsinki.

Another unique feature of the network is its pedagogical aspect. The summer school hosted in Orilampi, Finland and intensive course hosted in St Petersburg, Russia are open for the partner universities’ MA students. The postgraduate students are given an opportunity to advise the MA students, which helps to develop their pedagogical skills while simultaneously strengthening the skills necessary for an academic career and area expertise.

The summer schools focus on substantial knowledge taught by leading experts in the field, while the intensive courses focus on practical skills such as on publishing, teaching and conducting research. For more information, see Programme.

INREES creates a research community of postgraduate students, post-docs and senior researchers across different disciplines from around the globe.

Coordinator: Dr. Kaarina Aitamurto