‘Got Ideas? Come in!’: HSE Launches Centre for Transfer and Management of Socio-Economic Information
HSE University is completing the transformation of the Unified Archive of Economic and Social Data into the Centre for Transfer and Management of Socio-Economic Information. As part of this process, the HSE University Repository of Socio-Economic Information has already been launched. Vera Vishnyakova, Centre Director, spoke to the HSE News Service about these changes and how they will affect the university, scientists, and students.
— How will the new centre differ from the Unified Archive? Why was this transformation necessary?
— The transformation into Centre for Transfer and Management of Socio-Economic Information is a qualitatively new stage in the development of transfer and management of information at HSE University. The centre’s concept was developed on the basis of joint discussions with HSE’s scientific and administrative divisions and was supported by the Academic Council.
Our centre focuses on applied research at the university, which is supervised by Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice Rector. The responsibilities of the centre, in addition to the traditional collection, storage, and provision of access to the results of socio-economic research, now include transferring these things to the real sector of the economy and public administration, creating a culture of constant change associated with the development of digital applications and web services involving the competencies of specialists in computer and engineering sciences, and converting the results of intellectual activity into commercial products. At the same time, reliance on fundamental science remains an important basis for applied research.
— What kind of information does the centre work with? Is there a focus on commercialisation?
— Our centre works mainly with information in the field of socio-economic and humanitarian knowledge, which forms the basis of our university's competencies. In order to commercialise this, we create targeted datasets and interactive digital services aimed at specific market segments. Researchers only need to be able to interpret them and draw conclusions and forecasts.
We work closely with researchers to transform scientific results into marketable products, paying special attention to their practical value for end users.
— What tools does the centre apply to solve new problems?
— In the era of digital transformation, the data economy, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, we focus on the use of modern digital tools. First of all, we have launched a page on the HSE website where all our services and products are available.
Our latest developments include:
HSE University Repository of Socio-Economic Information, which will replace the Unified Archive of Economic and Social Data
Online Grant Navigator—an interactive web service for selecting grants from HSE University and Russian development institutes according to various parameters
Sesame web service—an online access system to external scientific and information resources (databases)
Spectrum web service—an interactive platform combining research results in seven key socio-economic areas, developed as part of the 'National Centre of Science, Technology and Socio-Economic Foresight' strategic project
We also plan to expand the set of digital tools for effective technology transfer and support for the university’s research activity.
— As part of the centre's work, the Unified Archive of Economic and Social Data has become the Repository of Socio-Economic Information web service. What is it and how does it function?
— The HSE University Repository of Socio-Economic Information is a modern web service for collecting, storing, and sharing research results.
The repository will feature the results of the university's socio-economic research, as well as the primary results of sociological surveys, time series with infographics and tables in various file formats.
During the first stage, individual HSE research teams will have access to the repository to test the procedures for depositing research results, storing them, and searching for information. As soon as the trial operation is completed, access to the repository will be open to external registered users.
In the next two years, we plan to introduce blockchain technology to protect intellectual property, develop a system for paid access (by subscription) to repository materials, expand the topics and include STEM research, and add the ability to store datasets and software source codes.
— What are the centre’s plans and goals for the next year?
— This year was dedicated to internal processes. In 2025, we will focus on external processes, which include marketing research and market analysis, the introduction of technologies for calculating market capacity, scaling the customer database we have developed, and adapting standard research products to customer requests.
We also plan to continue developing new digital products and web services.
I invite all colleagues with their current and future developments to our Centre for Transfer and Management of Socio-Economic Information for consultations, brainstorming, seminars, and launching startups. It's easy to find me by the sign on my door: ‘Got ideas? Come in!’