Strengthening International Partnerships in Educational Leadership: HSE Institute of Education's Visit to Hong Kong
During the visit, Anna Kobtseva, Director of the Department of Educational Programmes, and Natalia Isaeva, Academic Director of MA Programme ‘Educational Administration’, met with colleagues from several leading Hong Kong and Macau universities, including the University of Macau, the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.
The meeting focused on expanding long-term institutional cooperation. At the Faculty of Education of the University of Macau, the colleagues agreed to launch student mobility opportunities through short-term internships beginning next year, and outlined plans to launch a joint master's programme with the Institute of Education's Science of Learning and Assessment programme. At EdUHK, discussions centred on research collaboration and academic exchange, including meetings with Professor Sedat Gümüş, Professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership and Acting Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC).
The visit also paved the way for broader institutional cooperation with partner universities, extending beyond academic mobility to joint research projects. The planned collaboration will focus on the following six strategic research areas of the Institute of Education: Artificial Intelligence in Education, Well-being in Education, Education and the Labour Market, Instructional Design, Comparative Analysis of Education Policy and Management in Education.
Reflecting on the visit, Anna Kobtseva noted that, beyond the institutional agreements, the trip offered valuable insights into the distinctive educational environment of Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong impressed us with its unique blend of Western academic traditions and Chinese cultural perspectives,' she said. Everywhere we went, we encountered remarkable openness and a genuine interest in collaboration. Visiting the universities was particularly inspiring; their campuses function as integrated learning and research environments, often located outside the city centre. While Russian universities are also moving in this direction, there is much we can learn from Hong Kong's experience in designing academic environments."
As part of her programme of activities, Natalia Isaeva participated in the Asia Leadership Roundtable (ALR) 2026, organised by the APCLC and the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at EdUHK. This year's theme, "Taking Stock: Evolving Leadership Research Networks and Impact in Asia," the event brought together over 60 invited scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from 18 countries, including Singapore, South Africa, the United States, Germany, Australia, and Indonesia.
Unlike a traditional academic conference, the Roundtable was designed as a forum for in-depth discussion among leading educational leadership scholars. Instead of presenting individual research projects, participants collaborated to identify emerging research questions, develop shared methodological approaches, and determine future directions for the field. The discussions emphasised the increasing significance of international research networks and comparative perspectives in understanding how educational leadership is influenced by various cultural and policy contexts.
Natalia Isaeva believes that this collaborative format reflects a broader transformation within the field itself.
"One of the central themes of the Roundtable was how educational leadership research has evolved over the past ten to twenty years. What was once a collection of largely independent national research communities has become an international community working through cross-country collaborations. While the field was long dominated by Anglo-Saxon theoretical frameworks, today's discussions are increasingly focused on national contexts and on understanding why universal models do not always translate across educational systems.”
The visit reaffirmed the HSE Institute of Education's commitment to remaining actively engaged in international academic dialogue. Bringing together researchers from different countries broadens perspectives, creates opportunities for comparative research, and lays the groundwork for new international projects. The discussions initiated during the visit are expected to develop into future research collaborations and joint educational initiatives.
