Russian entrepreneurs support first Russian Management School in Moscow

28th September 2009

Beatrice Harper

Skolkovo, the first Russian School of Management, was opened by President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday 21st September 2009. A joint project of major Russian and international business leaders, Skolkovo is supported by 15 global companies. Fashion tycoon Mikhail Kusnirovich and banker Ruben Vardanyan, who is also president of its advisory board, feature among the benefactors. Roman Abramovich – oil billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club - provided the land on which it was built. According to the ITAR-TASS News Agency, President Dmitry Medvedev aspires for Skolkovo to become one of the leading business schools on the world market.

Skolkovo offers the first-ever full business MBA programme in Russia. The curriculum is biased towards practical experience, with two-thirds of the course taking place in actual companies. The first students start in September 2009, finishing in December 2010.

The Moscow management school is the first of two planned business schools; the second is currently under construction in St Petersburg. Initially, students will study business activity in countries with fast-growing economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC nations). They will also have the opportunity to participate in international consultancy assignments and spend part of their time abroad.

According to Ruben Vardanian, President of Skolkovo, “our aim is to create a new educational centre in Moscow that will train leaders and entrepreneurs for emerging markets and that will be known for its innovative approach to teaching".

The initiators of the project say the aim of the school is to help students
develop entrepreneurial leadership and start their own business.
The full-time course costs €50,000, which includes tuition fees for the entire 16-month programme, course materials, a laptop computer, campus accommodation and all flights to India, China and the USA. Scholarships are available.

 See: http://www.skolkovo.ru/index.php?lang=en