Deutsche Bahn and Russian Railways establish joint Center of Competence at university in St. Petersburg

Grube and Yakunin sign agreements in presence of Federal Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Medvedev

Berlin/Munich, On Thursday Deutsche Bahn and Russian Railways (RZD) established a joint Center for International Logistics and Supply Chain Management in St. Petersburg. The agreements were signed by the CEOs of both railways, Rüdiger Grube and Vladimir Yakunin, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Medvedev on the German Russian Government Consultations held in Munich.

“The Center of Competence will enable us to also build a bridge between Germany and Russia in the area of research. In doing so we are making a major contribution towards meeting the growing demands placed on quality and competitiveness in the area of cross-border transportation and logistics services between the German and the Russian markets,” said Rüdiger Grube, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn AG, in Munich.

The goal of both railways is to build up the Logistics Center at the Graduate School of Management at St. Petersburg State University (GSOM) to become a center of competence for applied research focused on innovative subjects in the fields of logistics and supply chain management. Other major areas of emphasis will be on the academic education of students within the framework of Bachelors and Masters degree programs as well as the continued and advanced education of employees from both railways. Plans call for the Center to endow a senior and junior professorship. The cooperation is initially based on a period of five years.

The European Business School (EBS) also played a role in initiating the establishment of the logistics center and as will first and foremost make its supply chain and logistics expertise available a partner in the project. Moreover, the railway companies were able to win Petersburg State Transport University as a further academic partner providing scientific support to the Chair in the field of railway studies.