The event included a scientific and educational program, featuring participation in an International Round Table devoted to integrating museum resources into the educational process in schools and universities. The discussion, held in the Mariinsky Palace with the support of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, covered both international and Russian experience.

The organizers of the Business Program paid particular attention to shaping, on the world stage, the image of Russia as a state committed to preserving and protecting traditional spiritual and moral values. Participants also discussed ways to strengthen public diplomacy for the sustainable development of society, and to promote the role of women in science, education, and the formation of moral guideposts for the younger generation.

The Festival will continue until April 5, 2026, offering participants scientific and educational conferences for schoolchildren and students, a press conference at the Interfax news agency, and an extensive museum, educational, and cultural program.

St. Petersburg State University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. It has played a key role in the development of science and education, as well as in the formation of the country's political and administrative elite. Over its centuries-long history, the university has been the alma mater of outstanding figures whose achievements have influenced not only Russia but the entire world.

Notable graduates of St. Petersburg State University include:

• Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev. Known for the periodic law of chemical elements, for deriving the equation of state of an ideal gas, and for other discoveries; he also proposed the idea of using pipelines to transport oil, among other contributions.

In addition, political figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin, and Dmitry Medvedev graduated from Saint Petersburg State University.

Source of information:
1) https://peterburg.guide/vuzy/spbgu/
2) https://www.muctr.ru/university/about/history/mendeleev/
3) https://abaza.org/nikolay-marr-avtor-bezumnoy-teorii-v-yazykoznanii-i-abkhazoved
4) https://tribuna.ee/tribute/larisa-volpert/
5) https://roo-msvds.ru/personalities/gasymov-ruslan-miragaevich/

Since 2017, a unique festival bringing together museums, universities, and scientific institutions has been held in St. Petersburg. It was originally intended to showcase the achievements of scientists and to popularize science among the city's residents and guests. Over the years the festival has grown: while there were 11 participants in 2017, by 2025 there were more than 50, including museums, research institutes, and exhibition venues.

Since 2019, institutions from other Russian cities have been invited to participate, creating an interdisciplinary space for popularizing science through modern technologies and art–science.

In 2022, the festival's status was raised to all-Russian, and in 2025 to international, with the participation of CIS countries, BRICS countries, and others.

Today the festival is a global platform uniting science, education, and culture.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/ru-ru/search/санкт%20петербург/

In 2016, the UN proclaimed 2018–2028 the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development." The initiative aims to draw attention to the importance of water for life, health, and the development of society. During this period, countries, organizations, and communities work together to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all people, especially in the most vulnerable regions.

The goals of the Decade include:
reducing water pollution;
rational use of water;
preventing water losses and adapting to climate change.

Water is an integral part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and this period has become a spur to joint action to preserve this precious resource for future generations.

Sources: https://www.un.org/ru/observances/water-decade

St. Petersburg State University of Economics (UNECON) opened its doors to students of Schools No. 281, No. 362, and No. 238 and their parents, as well as to students of the Academy of Urban Environment Management, Urban Planning and Printing (Tourism program).

A tour was organized for the participants of the former Assignation Bank building, an architectural monument built to a design by Giacomo Quarenghi. The guests learned about the history of the building and its significance in the development of Russia's financial system.

The program also included a mini-lesson on the history of finance, banking, tourism, and the hospitality industry. Participants were shown the film "Myths and Realities of the Assignation Bank," which presents historical facts and details of how the institution operated.

The guests watched the film "Myths and Realities of the Assignation Bank" and learned about study opportunities at the university. As a keepsake, each participant received a figurine of a griffin, the symbol of UNECON.

The Festival continues its work, uniting the city's educational and cultural venues and giving schoolchildren and students access to science through the museum space.

On March 20, 2026, a scientific and educational conference for high school students and young people was held at the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The event is part of the Business Program of the IX Museum and University Festival “Museum Today, Science Tomorrow!” and was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the magazine Znanie – Sila (“Knowledge Is Power”).

Opening the Conference, the Chair of the Festival Organizing Committee, Director of the V. V. Dokuchaev Central Soil Science Museum and Professor at St. Petersburg State University, E. Yu. Sukhacheva, noted the importance of such events for introducing high school students and young people to modern science and the prospects open to young researchers.

Greetings to the conference participants were offered by N. V. Androsenko, Vice-Rector of St. Petersburg State University of Economics (UNECON), and V. V. Gurzhiy, Professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences of St. Petersburg State University.

Speaking next, O. V. Almyasheva, Academic Secretary of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stressed that science is a wonderful, living celebration of discovery, and that St. Petersburg is rich in rare museums that should be visited not only during the Festival.

“Science begins with surprise, the unexpected, the ‘wow effect,’ and becomes a living and very daring adventure.” (O. V. Almyasheva)

In the series of talks, the first presentation, “Modern Retinal Prosthetics Technologies,” was given by Mikhail Firsov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry. He described new methods of restoring vision, such as optogenetic prostheses and the use of rhodopsin and melanopsin, and discussed with participants the possibility of treating congenital blindness.

Young scientists then presented their research:

Andrey Koshkin, President of the Union of Young Scientists of the North-West and a staff member of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), spoke about the role of student scientific organizations;
Denis Lyozov, a researcher at the Kurchatov Institute, shared his project on developing new silicon-based materials and their significance for people and living organisms.
Students and young specialists from St. Petersburg universities spoke on scientific topics. Stepan Akinshin of ITMO University talked about bioinformatics and its possible applications. Viktoria Khlebko, a postgraduate student at SPbPU, spoke about the use of nanoparticles in agriculture and medicine. Egor Moroz, a lecturer and advisor at St. Petersburg State University, shared his thoughts on how sociology and law help us understand boundaries and patriotism in society. Anastasia Turenko explained how cheetahs are studied through DNA and why this matters for their protection. Anton Solomonov shared the secret of creating record-setting nano-scale mirrors and the particulars of studying them.

The moderator of the meeting, Anastasia Kuzmina, a postgraduate student at St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University, concluded the Conference by stressing the need for such events to popularize science and support young researchers. She urged young people to take an active part in Festival events and to discover the world of science every day.

More than 180 people took part in the Conference: schoolchildren, gymnasium students, college students, children from children’s creativity centers, as well as teachers and methodologists from educational institutions of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

The 9th International Museum and University Festival "Museum Today, Science Tomorrow" has taken place. Its program included the BRICS countries, which are developing cooperation in the sphere of culture and thereby strengthening international ties.

Every country has its own cultural heritage, and this diversity shapes world culture. At the festival, participants exchanged experience in art, literature, and traditions, which fostered mutual understanding and respect among peoples.

Cultural exchange also supports the development of tourism, as it draws attention to the customs and holidays of different countries.

The festival became a platform for discussing projects, language exchange, and joint work in science and education. Participants noted that such initiatives help build lasting ties, which is especially important in current conditions.

BRICS's role in culture is not limited to the economy: it is a way of strengthening peace and stability through cultural dialogue and joint projects.

Sources: https://tvbrics.com/news/mezhkulturnyy-dialog-i-diplomatiya-pochemu-briks-stanovitsya-bazisom-dlya-razvitiya-novogo-tipa-mezh/

Znanie – Sila is a popular science magazine founded in 1926. Its main goal was to make scientific and technical achievements understandable and accessible to everyone.

The magazine's pages featured advances in fields such as astronomy, physics, history, and culture. It is worth noting that it published articles and works by well-known scientists and writers, including Sergey Meyen, Natan Eidelman, Raisa Berg, the Strugatsky brothers, Kir Bulychev, and others.

In January 2026, Znanie – Sila turned 100, yet it remains a kind of compass in today's rapidly developing world of information and technology, broadening readers' horizons, popularizing science, and making it the main force in the development of society.

"Knowledge itself is power"

— Francis Bacon —

Source of information: https://www.togdazine.ru/

The unity of peoples is inseparably linked with strengthening friendly relations and mutual understanding among the various ethnic groups living in Russia, and it plays an important role in the country's future and development.

Today, educational programs make it possible to become acquainted with the diversity of cultures, the history of each people, and their linguistic features. Scientists of different nationalities share their experience and observations, pooling all the information gathered and conducting research together. Such interethnic exchange increases the country's scientific potential and leads to progress.

One of the brightest expressions of the unity of peoples is culture. Traditions, language, art, customs, and spiritual values are interwoven here. This makes it possible to hear, see, and feel this diversity for oneself.

Festivals, exhibitions, concerts, and scientific and creative evenings promote unity, fostering respect, tolerance, and an appreciation of diversity in the classroom, the group, the city, the country, and the world.

Russia is a country of rich cultural diversity. The Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia in 2026 is meant to emphasize that it is precisely in this richness that mutual respect, harmonious coexistence, and the strength and beauty of this world lie.

Source of information: https://sdorus.ru/news/utverzhden-brendbuk-goda-edinstva-narodov-rossii/