The Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have each announced the opening of a program in computational linguistics. The two programs were developed in close cooperation with ABBYY and IBM, according to ABBYY, a leading Russia-based international supplier of linguistic and translation software and services set up in 1989 by an MIPT student.
MIPT first posted plans for its new program in April, citing a precarious lack of skilled specialists in computational linguistics in Russia. Vladimir Selegei, ABBYY’s director for linguistic research and head of the new programs at both universities, echoed MIPT earlier this week, saying that the complete absence of a computational linguistics major in today’s Russian academia creates a severe disconnect between universities and business — and keeps Russia off global scientific radars.
Courses toward an MA degree are scheduled to begin later this year. They will be based on an R&D project-focused approach and on-the-job training at companies like ABBYY and IBM.
According to Maxim Krongauz, director of RSUH’s Linguistics School, the two universities will closely collaborate and develop joint projects.
