Biography

Ilya Kuftiryov is a 2001 cum laude graduate of Lobachevsky University (MSc in National Economy) and Dobrolyubov Linguistic University (MSc in Linguistics and Cross-Cultural Communicatoins), Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, as part of the «Russian – French University» international Master’s degree program. He speaks English and French fluently. In 2003, he also earned a Master's degree in Social and Economic Policy from Pierre Mendès France University, Grenoble-2, France. In 2004, he supported his PhD in Economics of Innovation and was awarded the title of Associate Professor in 2006.

Ilya has more than 10 years of hands-on professional experience in various fields. In 2005, he was invited to the position of Adviser to the Chief Federal Inspector in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Volga Federal District. In 2006, he worked at Sberbank, Russia, as credit and finance inspector, Project Finance & Investment Department.

In 2007, he joined the International Affairs Department of Lobachevsky University of Nizhny Novgorod (UNN) primarily as the Deputy head and since February 2009 till June 2016 as the Head of International Relations Office. He initiated and led a number of capacity building projects and joint educational programs implemented in partnership with leading international partner institutions.

In June 2016, Ilya joined the ITMO University team to lead the Rankings Research Center. He is responsible for rankings research, developing cooperation with national and international University rankings agencies as well as fostering partnership with key academic and university management associations aimed at enhancing ITMO University’s competitiveness in the national and international educational and research area.

Dr. Kuftiryov has over 10 years of teaching practice. From 2006 to 2016 he worked as Associate Professor at the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship, Lobachevsky University. He is the author of the following MSc courses:

• Regional innovation ecosystems
• Innovative development of the Region
• Corporate Innovation and Investment
• Economics of Innovation (delivered in English)

His professional interests embrace university management, university rankings; entrepreneurial university, Economics of innovation, knowledge and technology transfer. He has over 30 scientific papers and a monograph published.

Achievements and competed projects:

• Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Education of the Nizhny Novgorod Region (2016).
• Grantee of the Vladimir Potanin Philanthropy Foundation, nomination «Best Master Degree Program» (2016).
• Successful completion of a number of the international projects (Tempus and Erasmus Mundus programs) in cooperation with foreign partners ("Total Quality Management for Universities", "University Knowledge Transfer for Sustainable Growth", «Eranet Mundus») (2007-2016).
• Expansion of international partners’ network (+30 new partnerships through 2009-2016 with leading universities in Europe, Asia, USA and South America). 
• Successful launch and supervision of a number of joint educational programs (non-degree and double degree, students’ mobility) with partner universities from USA, Europe and Asia (since 2009).
•  Executive manager, projects «The Centre of the International Cooperation in Technology Transfer» and «Entrepreneurship and Innovation Youth Support Centre» in the framework of US-Russian EURECA Program: Enhancing University Research and Entrepreneurial Capacity (2010-2015).
• Member of the International Academic Advisory Committee, QS WORLDWIDE conference and exhibition (Nizhny Novgorod, Sept. 2015).
• Member of the « Association of Global Universities » working group (since 2015).
• Grantee of the "Eranet Plus" project, Erasmus Mundus program (University of Poitiers, France, 2014).
• Executive manager and project coordinator, "Capacity-building of Partnership for Improvement of Tourist Education, Researches and Programs of Support of the Industry" project (2010-2013), implemented by UNN and the University of Florida (USA) and supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Department of Education, USA.
• Fellowship grantee, University Administration Support Program (UASP), of Council for the international researches and exchanges (IREX, USA) (Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, 2010).
• Member of «UNN Strategy 2020» and «UNN Knowledge Transfer Strategy» working groups.