‘A Space Where You Can Ask Questions and Make Mistakes’

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Regular, long-term seminars are an important part of the work of HSE research teams. Petr Parshakov, Professor at the School of Economics and Finance of the Faculty of Computer Science, Economics, and Social Sciences at HSE University–Perm and Head of the International Laboratory of Intangible-Driven Economy, talks about the laboratory’s regular seminars: why such meetings are needed, how they are organised, the secret of successful seminars, and the place seminars hold today in academic life.

— How are seminars organised in your laboratory?

— At the International Laboratory of Intangible-driven Economy we hold several seminars in different formats, each serving its own unique purpose in the research life of our team.

First of all, we have a regular seminar that can be described as a classical one: it takes place once every two weeks and is mainly devoted to presentations by laboratory staff on their current research. This seminar is open to a wide audience and is now held online, which enables not only Russian but also international scholars to take part. It is especially gratifying when overseas professors who were there at the origins of our international laboratory join in the discussions: Ángel Barajas, Dennis Coates, Félix López, and Carlos Hardon.

The second format is the ‘long’ seminar, which is held irregularly—usually once or twice a year. For several days we devote ourselves entirely to joint work: each day features five or six presentations, and we discuss both nearly finished projects and those still at an early stage. Originally these seminars were timed to coincide with visits from foreign colleagues, but over time they have become an independent form of academic interaction within the laboratory. Nowadays a ‘long’ seminar is most often dedicated to a particular research topic, and we invite representatives of business and government authorities to broaden the perspectives of the academic discussion. It is crucial that these seminars are held offline, in an atmosphere of live communication—this allows us to concentrate better and work more closely and productively.

We also run a number of seminars for early-career researchers, aimed at supporting young scholars at the beginning of their academic path

We share our experience, offer advice and run workshops: we discuss the difference between a thesis and a research article, how to prepare an introduction for a publication, and much more. Since 2021 we have regularly held a seminar for interns and doctoral students called Cooking Up Your First Research. The event is open to all students. It is a space where you can ask questions, experiment, make mistakes and learn—and we value this format highly.

— What was the idea behind seminars when they was first created? What role do they play in the laboratory’s projects?

— The first seminars in our laboratory were organised by Elena Shakina and Mariya Molodchik, whose initiative marked the beginning of the International Laboratory of Intangible-Driven Economy. From the very start they envisaged the seminar as a working space for discussing research at the stage of active development. We have consistently adhered to this paradigm ever since. This applies above all to the regular and ‘long’ seminars, which differ from many academic formats where the focus is on already published or fully completed projects. Such an approach allows our team members to help one another: to discuss research ideas, suggest appropriate methodologies, assess the logic of how a study is structured, recommend additional checks and tests, and, at later stages, consider possible responses to reviewers’ comments.

The purpose of the ‘Cooking Up Your First Research’ student seminar is to help laboratory interns and students interested in research learn how to conduct studies in our field. We work at the intersection of economics and management, and our projects have their own specificity—in the choice of topics and the framing of research questions, as well as in the approaches to investigating them. These are exactly the aspects we explore with early-career researchers—from methodological details to how to structure a paper, present results, and grasp the logic of academic discourse.

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— Who takes part in seminars? Does the seminars have partners outside HSE?

— Our seminars were designed from the outset as an open platform for academic exchange. While most presentations are delivered by laboratory staff, external researchers also take part. Above all, these are doctoral students at the HSE Campus in Perm who are actively involved in the laboratory’s projects and in academic life more broadly.

In addition, we have established strong partnerships with colleagues outside HSE, in particular with the University of Vigo in Spain. As part of this international collaboration, doctoral students in economics from the University of Vigo regularly present their work at our seminars. They receive feedback from our team and, in turn, contribute to the discussion, broadening the context of debate.

— What criteria do you use when selecting topics for discussion?

— We try to ensure that all our research projects are subject to regular discussion. That is why some seminars are necessarily devoted to projects under the Basic Research Programme, while others cover projects supported by the Russian Science Foundation. At the same time, we are always ready to support colleagues’ initiatives to launch a new line of research.

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— How do you ensure seminars’ regularity?

— To maintain openness and accessibility, we are developing our information channels. Since 2020 we have been running a Telegram channel, where we regularly post information about scheduled talks and a link to join the online seminar. About a week before each meeting we publish an announcement in the channel with the topic, authors, and abstract of the presentation, which enables interested colleagues to assess its relevance and decide whether to attend.

— How are students involved in seminars?

— Seminars are a compulsory part of academic life not only for all laboratory staff but also for student research assistants. We deliberately involve students in this process, because we see seminars not just as a place for presentations, but as a key element of the research environment—one in which you need to immerse yourself from the very start.

The range of seminar topics is very broad—from the laboratory’s classical focus on intangible assets to various issues in the economics of education and sport. This diversity applies not only to subject matter but also to methodological approaches

Laboratory staff present research in their own fields, and each meeting is an opportunity to see the many different ways complex economic and managerial questions can be addressed.

Participation in a seminar is valuable even when the topic is not directly related to a particular student’s or researcher’s interests. On the one hand, an outside perspective can give the authors unexpected ideas—quite often it is precisely an interdisciplinary approach that leads to a new understanding of a problem. On the other hand, the listener benefits as well, broadening their outlook and learning about methods and approaches that may be applied in their own work.

— What do you see as the achievements of your seminars? More generally, how should the success of an academic seminar be measured?

— I would say that if we talk about the success of a particular seminar, above all it should bring tangible benefits to the presenter. If, after the talk, they have a clear sense of what needs to be revised, refined, or clarified, or if (in rare cases) they leave with specific recommendations from colleagues, then the seminar has worked. When discussion genuinely helps advance a piece of research, that is probably the main achievement—both for the author and for the seminar as a whole.

Young researchers themselves are eager to present, because they understand that here they will receive feedback that allows them to grow professionally

If we speak in more formal terms, the success of a seminar can also be measured by the interest it generates among the external audience. It is especially valuable when listeners from other HSE departments or even from foreign universities join our seminars.