June, 5, 2014 the participants of the round table "New campuses of the universities of St. Petersburg as a point of scientific-educational and socio-economic growth" answered this question. Representatives of universities, business community and experts, urban planners discussed prospects of creation new multifunctional university centers and capabilities allowing people totransform effectively the historic territory of the higher education institutions taking into account the needs of students and features of a modern city.

According to representatives of the university community, the main problems of the universities in this scope is the discrepancy between the historic buildings of the educational and technological needs of today's universities, the acute shortage of hostels and rooms for extracurricular work, sports, leisure, and, of course, is the fragmentation of the buildings. Alexander Khodachek, the president of the St. Petersburg campus of the National research university "Higher school of economics" (HSE), Mikhail Osipov, the vice-rector on development of the University complex of the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance and Vladlena Serebryakova, the rector assistant of the ITMO University spoke about the plans and prospects of development of University spaces.

During the discussion of key issues of reorganization of University spaces Mikhail Osipov shared the experience of two years of work of the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance in building their own campus. In his opinion, the development of campuses is impossible without government support: most universities are in Federal subordination and they face great difficulties during the development of municipal territories. In his speech Mikhail Osipov drew his colleagues' attention to the necessity of establishing a working group with participation of representatives of government, universities and businesses to exchange information and joint search of ways of the decision of existing problems.

The rector assistantof of the ITMO University Vladlena Serebryakova spoke about the project of the satellite city South. The ITMO University is actively involved in the development of the project.Creation of a special zone favorable for the implementation of master's and postgraduate programs and grounds for the development of entrepreneurial activity and interaction with the business community and foreign partners is planned in accordance with the concept.

Representatives of universities and businesses agree in opinion that the investment attractiveness of infrastructure assets of St. Petersburg universities for private developers who are ready to participate in projects of the reorganization of the property according to the scheme of state-private partnership may become one of the starting points for the development of campuses. Elena Ventsel, the deputy general director on development of Prime group, noted that a clear understanding of what areas are suitablefor creating universities campuses is the first necessary, and what conditions for joint work with the developer community are.

"For the Council of rectors it’s very important to involve representatives of business and authorities to the solution of such important tasks as development of university campuses. Together we will make it easier to cope with the many difficulties that arise today at universities that require reorganization of the territories. The question of creation of working group my colleagues and I will discuss in the Council in the near future", - Vladimir Vasilev, the rector of the ITMO University, the chairman of the Council of rectors of St. Petersburg, 
said.


All the participants of the roundtable expressed hope for productive cooperation and confirmed their readiness to join efforts in the composition of the working group to the joint actions to help Petersburg universities to reach a qualitatively new level of development.