IBSS Scientists Present at Conference “Contribution of Russian and African Universities to Sustainable Regional Development”

On 4–5 December 2025, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University hosted the III International Scientific and Practical Conference, “Contribution of Russian and African Universities to Sustainable Regional Development.” Organised by the Consortium of Russian-African Universities (RAFU) and the SPbPU UNESCO Chair “Quality Management in Education for Sustainable Development,” the event brought together leading experts and researchers from Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, Mali, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Uganda, the Congo, Guinea, and Nigeria.

 The Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) was represented by three experts, who delivered presentations reflecting the Institute’s research activities in Africa:

- Evgeniya Dmitrieva, Head of the Department of Environmental Parasitology and Candidate of Biological Sciences, alongside Dr. Ibrahim Keita, Deputy Director General of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Research of Guinea (CEREMAC-G), presented a joint project titled: “Identification of Natural Foci of Schistosoma Infection in Molluscs in the Republic of Guinea and Development of PCR-Based Diagnostic Methods for Schistosoma Species in Molluscs and Rapid Water Testing (eDNA) for Parasite Larvae in Natural Water Bodies.”

- Tatiana Gorbunova, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology and Geomatics and Candidate of Geographical Sciences, delivered a lecture on: “Assessing the Vulnerability of South Africa’s Coastal Ecosystems to Climate Change: Findings from the BRICS Grant.”

- Daria Ignatyeva, Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology and Geomatics and Head of the Core Facility for Phylogenomics and Transcriptomics, presented her comparative analysis of the taxonomic structure of microbial communities in the soils of the Fatal River Basin (Republic of Guinea) during the dry and wet seasons.

“Participation in international research projects elevates a scientist’s work to a qualitatively new level, ensuring the relevance and sustainability of their research. I believe this is not an addition to our core work but a prerequisite for maintaining competitiveness and achieving truly groundbreaking results. Every successful international collaboration serves as a catalyst for the advancement of national science. We are not merely sharing data; we are exchanging best practices in research management and, most importantly, uniting talents from different countries,” noted Tatiana Gorbunova.

The primary objective of the conference was to facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices in implementing Russian-African projects in education and scientific research for the sustainable development of regions.

 

Photo: SPbPU Press Service