Mikhail Mishustin: “I would like to congratulate the winners in the most prestigious and large-scale team contest for young software developers. They brought home three gold medals out of four, as well as one bronze and the absolute ICPC championship. This is a marvellous result!”
ICPC, the International Collegiate Programming
Contest, is the world’s most prestigious team competition in its category.
University teams solve unconventional tasks, competing in speed, creativity and
innovation.
The contest’s mission is to promote professional
networking among IT students from universities around the world, while drawing
the attention of academia, businesses and the IT industry to a new generation
of coding professionals.
More than 60,000 student coders from over 3,000
universities and 115 countries competed in ICPC qualifiers.
Russia has been taking
part in the contest since 1995. Russian students have won 80 medals, including
33 gold medals. Moscow was the ICPC Finals’ host
for the first time in 2021, preceded in Russia
by St Petersburg
in 2013 and Yekaterinburg in 2014.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Mikhail Mishustin meets with the Russian finalists in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC)
Good afternoon, dear friends,
I would like to convey my heartfelt greetings to the
members of Russia’s
programming team.
I am truly delighted to see you here. First of all, I
would like to congratulate the winners on their victory in the most prestigious
and large-scale team contest for young software developers: the teams from the Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod
University, St Petersburg’s ITMO University (formerly the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optics), the Moscow Institute of
Physics and Technology and students from the Higher School of Economics. They
won three gold medals out of four, one bronze and carried the absolute ICPC
championship. This is a wonderful result!
I would like to convey the President’s congratulations
to you. I talked with him on the phone today, and he asked me to express his
warmest and most sincere gratitude to you for winning this contest, and wishes for
your future success. I can only join him in these congratulations. I think that
all of you here today are winners.
You have proven your excellence in mathematics and
demonstrated your ability in solving the most challenging problems, and quickly.
I have been watching online, and saw your perseverance and strong spirit. On
your way to the finals, you had to take part in a qualifying round, which was
also challenging, and you came out on top despite the intense competition,
proving that you have every right to be viewed as the best of the best.
Of course, without your tutors and teachers this would
have been impossible. They are also present here today. I would like to give them
my heartfelt congratulations. Thank you for the excellent training you gave to
the finalists and all the participants. The mentor’s proficiency is a
prerequisite for a student’s success.
I would also
like to greet and thank the rectors of the universities that were winners in
the Olympiads who are present here today: MIPT Rector Dmitry Livanov, Rector of
Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod University Yelena Zagainova, ITMO Rector Vladimir
Vasilyev, and Rector of the Higher School of Economics Nikita Anisimov. Thank
you very much.
This is the
third time that Russia
has hosted the finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest. This
is an important achievement given that this year is Science and Technology Year
in our country, a development spearheaded by the President. One of its goals is to generate interest
among young people in the opportunities offered by digital technologies which
it is almost impossible to do without these days, including in public service.
It is no
coincidence that we have gathered in the Government Coordination Centre today
which is where, on a daily basis, we draft and implement plans to achieve
national development goals. We realise that in order to meet modern
requirements and, primarily, to achieve what the people want us to achieve, we
need an innovative management format and management system.
Much has already
been accomplished in this regard. User-friendly services can be used to address
multiple issues that posed a challenge quite recently, when people had to visit
government offices and gather numerous papers. Now, it is even possible to apply
for admission to a university using the public services website.
In order to
digitalise the operations of ministries and departments, each one of them now has
a deputy head in charge of digital transformation, who is responsible for
making interaction with the public more efficient and convenient.
Technology is drastically
changing the future in which you will live and work. Of course, transition to
the digital economy poses formidable goals for the development of the IT
industry in our country.
The President of
Russia designated digital transformation as a national development goal. Once
achieved, it will ensure groundbreaking and rapid changes in the economy,
including the transition of many work processes online. During the pandemic,
digital solutions have become the main link connecting society. They ensured
the work of literally all industries, education and healthcare and, of course,
government bodies.
Highly skilled
personnel are critical if we want to be successful. Our immediate plans include
changes in education. For example, students will be able to train in digital
specialties over and above their major occupation.
I am confident
that the ICPC will boost young people’s interest in modern information
technology, AI solutions, cybersecurity, and big data.
In just a few
years, you will complete your studies at universities, many of you will do so
very soon. You will be taking on serious and responsible tasks, and creating unparalleled
software solutions. The country will need your knowledge and skills, and not just
in business. The government is very interested in creating a proper environment
for professional fulfilment. You will get the chance to make an enormous contribution
to boosting competitiveness of Russian IT products, solutions and services.
Friends, a lot
of opportunities are open to you now. Go ahead and let your imagination flow. Do
not hold back from setting yourselves the most ambitious goals, go beyond things
that are familiar and understandable. I am confident that you will succeed.
With all my heart I wish you good luck and great victories.
