The Russian Higher Education Program is a joint program with the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.

In 2003, the Salzburg Seminar and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation initiated a five-year partnership (2003-2008) designed to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices between the higher education leadership of the Russian Federation and their counterparts from North America, Western Europe and Central-East Europe. The Russian Higher Education Program will, for now, consist of two symposia per year, which will take place in Salzburg and in Russia. Each symposium will convene representatives of universities, higher education organizations, governmental structures, and other stakeholders. The symposia will be complemented by site visits to selected Russian universities to discuss issues identified by the host institution and to continue the dialogue on the most pertinent issues of the program of modernization of Russian education, depending on the focus of the sessions each year.

The Russian Higher Education Program will center around five main topics:

1. Russian Program of Modernization in the Context of Global Education Reform
2. Higher Education Governance Reform: Issues and Challenges
3. Strengthening the Role of Russian Universities in Service to Society
4. Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Sharing International Experience
5. Higher Education and Research (Networks, Linkages, Best Practices)
These topics will serves as an overarching theme for each year. For example, in 2003, the Program is focused on the issues of modernization of Russian higher education in the context of global education change and reform. At the same time, the Program will explore the nature of developments in higher education in the European region and Russia's involvement in this process. The October symposium in Moscow considered as a sub-theme the challenges and opportunities for Russian universities of becoming a part of the European Higher Education Area.