Yulia Vymyatnina

"As a visiting researcher I have visited BOFIT twice, in 2010 and in 2018. Both visits have been very useful for me as a researcher.

First of all, the very atmosphere is extremely helpful – very friendly and helpful colleagues, always ready to discuss some problematic issues of one’s research, to offer specific or general comments. And it is very important also that not only visiting researchers, like myself, could benefit from advise of BOFIT colleagues, but also that BOFIT colleagues asked visiting researchers from countries on which BOFIT research focuses for their opinion and advice. And this was very helpful for me, especially during my first visit when I was at the early stage of my academic career. Lunch hour during BOFIT visits often happens to be the most productive hour of the day in terms of ideas and information floating around.

Secondly, access to data and publications is fantastic, and there is helpful and very kind information support if one needs it. Though my university boasts a very good library, we still cannot compete with BOFIT when it comes specifically to resources on Russian economy and to data sets.

And of course one should mention the excellent administration of the programme when visiting researchers are really taken care of. From the start it feels like being really welcome to the place, and this naturally sets one on a very productive basis.

As a result of my two visits to BOFIT I was able to actively move on with my research plans, abandoning some ideas, but developing others instead, to prepare and publish academic papers – not only directly related to the subjects of my visits, but also beyond them, inspired by the very friendly, productive and cosy surroundings."