The international program “Power and Region in a Multipolar Order-PRIMO” was created with the support of the European Commission as part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network. PRIMO brought together universities and research centers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the UK, as well as private organizations.
The Marie Curie International Program aims to increase the role of the human factor in research activities and increase the number of young researchers and specialists. The program promotes the establishment and strengthening of international scientific relations, the creation of a network of effectively working international scientific communities of universities and scientific organizations. PRIMO is one of the few programs named after. Marie Curie, who received support in the field of humanities.
The main focus of the international program was to study the role of regional powers such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in modern economics and politics. PRIMO consisted of training graduate students on a specific research project in a given field at network universities, conducting joint training seminars and internships within the network with opportunities for further career development in academia or the private sector. The program language is English. Duration – 2013-2017.
Universities of the PRIMO network occupy leading positions in national education systems and significant positions in international rankings:
- University of Hamburg, Germany (coordinator);
- Oxford University, UK;
- German Institute for Global and Regional Studies, Hamburg, Germany;
- Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal;
- Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
- St. Petersburg State University, Russia;
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India;
- Fudan University, Shanghai, China;
- University of Stellenbosch, South Africa;
- Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye.
Project partner:
Associated participants of the PRIMO project:
- Deutsche Bank;
- Hamburg Chamber of Commerce;
- European Council on Foreign Relations.
St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Economics, Department of World Economy, within the framework of this program, implemented a research project in the following direction: “Developing powers in the IMF and WTO: hegemony, multilateral cooperation or revival of the Westphalian system?” (“Emerging powers in the IMF and the WTO: group hegemony, multilateral cooperation or Westphalian reassertion?”).
Martin Pioch, German citizen, from October 15, 2014 to September 30, 2017. worked at the Department of World Economy as a research intern for the PRIMO project and prepared a number of scientific publications and a PhD thesis based on the results of the program. During the implementation of the project, international scientific and methodological seminars were held at St. Petersburg State University: “Application of quantitative methods in qualitative research on the topic of regional leaders in world politics and economics” (April 20-24, 2015) and “Practice of international relations in the system of global governance "(June 26-28, 2017). As part of the project, a number of open lectures by foreign teachers and experts were held at St. Petersburg State University, as well as sections and round tables were organized as part of international conferences.
Young scientists from foreign universities underwent scientific internships at the Department of World Economy: Miklos Lazar (Jaguar Land Rover research intern and graduate student at Oxford University), Eleonora Tafuro Ambrosetti (graduate student at the Middle East Technical University), Alison Lantuch (graduate student at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro). St Petersburg University teachers also took part in international conferences and seminars within the framework of the project in Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, China and the USA.
On May 29, 2018, Martin Pioch successfully defended his thesis on the topic: “Cooperation of countries with emerging markets in the field of global governance: BRICS in international trade and the WTO” at the dissertation council of St. Petersburg State University. This was the first defense under the new rules of St. Petersburg State University in the specialty 08.00.14 - World economy. Scientific supervisor - Doctor of Economics, Prof. Sergei F. Sutyrin. Martin Pioch became the first young researcher from this international scientific network to defend his PhD thesis, which certainly demonstrated the effectiveness of St Petersburg University’s involvement in this project and its cooperation within the framework of such an international consortium.
Program website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/607133.
