Project 5-100 targets won't be met but Russia has nevertheless seen progress in the internationalisation and development of its higher education sector.

The way the media outside of Russia talks about the country gives the impression that we are pretty closed. It's our role to be a little bit above politics and to open borders.

International student numbers at universities participating in the government-funded project have nearly doubled in three years.

Rankings are not the ultimate goal. The goal is to enhance competitiveness of the Russian universities around the globe, to improve the Russian educational system and to develop universities in Russia.

Russia’s flagship Project 5-100 has launched a new study portal for international students interested in completing a higher education course in the country.

Six more universities have joined Russia’s Project 5-100, an initiative created to get five of the country’s universities into the top 100 global rankings. The successful participants were chosen after presenting their academic excellence programmes.

Russia’s campaign to compete as a higher education destination has begun its second application phase since launching a year and half ago. The next tranche of funding for the Project 5-100 will support universities’ internationalisation roadmaps and, the government hopes, rise in global rankings.

Russia’s 15-strong Association of Global Universities is in the process of establishing a unified student recruitment initiative that aims to recruit up to 15,000 international students annually. It will feed into Russia's ambitious 5-100 project.