Massachusetts Institute of Technology severs ties with Russian university after Ukraine invasion

MIT says it will no longer work with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology but students who have pending research projects will be allowed to complete their work.

Feb. 28, 2022

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge has announced it is severing ties with the Russian university Skolkovo Institutes of Science and Technology.

The announcement comes days after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, reports MassLive.com.

MIT partnered with the nonprofit Skolkovo Foundation in 2011 to establish the research university as part of a Russian government effort to create a science and technology hub akin to California’s Silicon Valley or Massachusetts’ Kendall Square.

“In light of the unacceptable military actions against Ukraine by the Russian government, MIT President L. Rafael Reif, in consultation with senior leadership, determined that MIT’s relationship with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) must end,” the announcement read.

MIT student researchers leading Skoltech projects will be able to complete their research and academic work, the university said.

The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology told the Associated Press that it has nine ongoing projects with MIT and remains “in close contact with our colleagues at MIT."