Master’s Students of HSE, University of Campinas, and Tsinghua University Publish Joint Student Research Collection
Master’s students of the HSE ISSEK programme ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Management and Policy’ have released a joint research collection with the University of Campinas (Brazil) and Tsinghua University (China) titled ‘Being Innovative or Being on the Safe Side—Managing the Risk of Failure.’ The authors explore how organisations perceive risks and embrace innovation within different cultural contexts.
The publication brings together works by first-year master’s students, each representing an independent study on how organisations manage innovation and risk. The authors examine how corporate culture shapes the willingness to take risks, which motivation systems foster creativity, and how institutional environments influence innovative behaviour.
In her paper, HSE master’s student Aigul Zamaletdinova shows that companies can strike a balance between innovation and stability by using hybrid risk management methods—from machine learning and scenario modelling to weak signal analysis and building a culture of ‘psychological safety.’ She emphasises that it is the combination of technology, analytics, and a mature corporate culture that transforms risk into a source of competitive advantage.
Valery Novozemtsev studied Russian corporate culture and its influence on innovation. He concludes that the punishment of initiative remains one of the key barriers to developing an innovative economy. In his view, it is crucial to create motivation systems that encourage risk-taking and initiative rather than suppress them.
HSE master’s student Alena Bernyukevich explores the criteria for determining the ‘right level of risk’ for companies, stressing that innovation readiness must be aligned with an organisation’s strategic goals and culture.
The collection also includes research papers by students from partner universities in Brazil and China, offering a global perspective that takes into account cultural diversity.
Dirk Meissner
‘The uniqueness of the ISSEK master’s programme lies in its combination of theoretical depth and international research practice. For students, this is not merely an academic project but a genuine contribution to the global debate on the future of innovation—and they gain this opportunity as early as their first year of study,’ notes Dirk Meissner, Academic Supervisor of the Master’s programme in Science, Technology and Innovation Management and Policy and editor of the collection.
Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes
Dr Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes, Associate Professor at the University of Campinas, highlights that ‘the importance and value of this collection lie not only in its findings, but also in its mission to bring together the perspectives of three universities from three different countries. Knowledge grows richer when it is built through dialogue, diversity, and cross-border collaboration.’
This is the second collection of student research published jointly with international universities as part of the master’s programme. The initiative helps prepare students for careers at the intersection of research, innovation, and policy, offers valuable experience in collaborative research and publication, and strengthens intercultural academic ties.