Under the patronage of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and the Federal Agency for Railway Transport Declaration of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation between Higher Education Institutions in the Implementation of Scientific and Educational Project «Heritage of Betancourt» On June 17, 2015 Declaration of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation between three largest transport and polytechnic universities of Europe was signed in the PSTU within a framework of the International Congress «Innovations and Staff in Railway Transport Geopolitics» in the presence of Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Y. Sokolov. Rector Alexander Y. Panychev signed the Declaration on the part of Petersburg State Transport University, Rector Carlos Conde Lázaro — on the part of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Director Armel de La Bourdonnaye — on the part of École nationale des ponts et chaussées (Paris).

According to the Declaration, abovementioned universities initiate and begin implementing the joint Scientific and Educational Project «Heritage of Betancourt» focused on wide audience. The Project is implemented on the eve of the 260th anniversary (February 1, 2018) of an outstanding engineer, scientist and statesman Agustin de Betancourt, who left a deep mark in the history and made a truly huge contribution to the development of the world science, technology, engineering practice and engineering education.

The Project «Heritage of Betancourt» is aimed at: raising prestige of the engineering and technical education among young people and involving the most talented of them in the transport and construction industries, as well as in the technology-oriented scientific research; promoting development of scientific, cultural and academic relations between universities of different countries; increasing the level of knowledge, culture and business activity of the youth; developing academic mobility, fulfilling creative potential and expanding the horizons of students; promoting talented young people in getting quality education, including programs of «double diploma» and internships in different countries, etc. The Project is open. Its Initiators permit and welcome participation of all parties, which are interested in development of the transport industry, education and science.