BRICS Expert Council-Russia Organises HSE CS × BRICS Ideathon
On November 9, HSE University hosted the HSE CS × BRICS Ideathon, a large-scale intensive programme for students designed to build their project skills and find solutions to current BRICS challenges. Supported by the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, the event was part of a broader effort to foster youth initiatives and expand educational cooperation within the BRICS framework.
The Ideathon gathered 105 participants, who formed 23 teams to conceptualise and create prototypes of solutions to promote sustainable and technological development of the BRICS nations—all within a single day. Following a short introduction to the BRICS philosophy, students took part in a series of workshops. Alexander Popovkin, Head of the Hackathon Club of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, led a session on idea generation and effective brainstorming, while experts from the HSE Corporate Academy guided participants through the fundamentals of project thinking.
After teams received their case assignments, the most intensive phase began: project development. For four hours, participants worked alongside mentors to develop solutions across diverse fields—from digital platforms to sustainable development. Proposed initiatives included domestic operating systems and app ecosystems, national messaging applications, BRICS smart city concepts, ESG financing tools, waste management systems, food security projects, and platforms for the creative freelance economy.
Mentoring and expert support were provided by Zori Gumashyan, Head of the Project Management Department at MosSportRazvitie; Sergey Tkachenko, Daniil Kostalevsky, and Ksenia Fedosina, Experts from the the Hackathon Club of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science; Tatyana Sushchenko, Core Value Product at Rusprofile, former executive at VK and Microsoft, and speaker at leading product conferences; Anastasia Danilova and Irina Belenkaya from the HSE Centre for Career Management and Corporate Culture; Maxim Pavlishin, Department Head at Fraud Radar.
The final stage was a pitch session where teams presented their ideas to the expert jury, fielded questions, and received feedback. After project defences, first place was awarded to the MIM team,second place went to VAGRs, and third place to the Quadrangle of Progress. The Audience Choice award went to the Ideological Intelligence team.
The event concluded with an official awards ceremony and a traditional Pizza Party, where participants continued discussing their projects and sharing impressions in an informal setting.
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The whole experience was incredibly exciting for me. Since the format was new to me, I was a bit nervous at first, but it turned out to be fantastic! The organisation was flawless, every detail was perfectly planned, and the tasks were truly engaging. A huge thank you to HSE University, all the organisers, and the jury.
Milena Avetisyan
First-year Master's student in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication
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A big thank you for such a well-run Ideathon! The schedule was convenient, the atmosphere was positive, everything was clear and well-organised, and the task itself was really interesting. Wonderful people and a great mood throughout and after the event. It was really exciting not just to develop our own solution, but also to hear all the other creative ideas. We're thrilled to be back for a second year and are already looking forward to the next one!
Yana Fitkovskaya
Second-year student in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at Lomonosov Moscow State University
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For me, it was a great pleasure to take part in the Ideathon. This year, it brought together over 100 participants from different universities and cities. The competition was intense, and a lot of work had been done. The organising committee truly deserves recognition— they supported us the entire time, offered valuable feedback, and cheered us up. We had a wonderful time! Most importantly, we gained invaluable experience tackling real-world BRICS challenges. This is essential for any student interested in the group's work.
Abdallah Muhammad Zein Abdalgadir
Second-year Master's student in International Relations: European and Asian Studies
The HSE CS x BRICS Ideathon once again demonstrated that creativity, knowledge, and teamwork can spark new initiatives that strengthen cooperation among the BRICS nations and help build a more open, sustainable, and equitable world.