Andrei Yakovlev, one of Russia’s leading economists, has a long-standing collaboration with the research groups of Jutta Günther and Michael Rochlitz as well as the Research Centre for Eastern Europe at the University of Bremen.

Because of these close ties with Bremen that date back to Prof. Yakovlev’s first stay in Bremen in 2002 as an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellow, Andrei Yakovlev was appointed "Research Ambassador" by the Rectorate of the University of Bremen in May 2020. Prof. Yakovlev is to represent the University of Bremen abroad, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe, and to be the person of contact to everyone interested in the activities of the University.

On June 29, 2022, the Faculty of Business Studies and Economics organized a welcome meeting for Professor Yakovlev as the University Research Ambassador – a ceremony that had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic. Prof. Dr. Eva-Maria Feichtner (Vice President International and Diversity), Prof. Dr. Jutta Günther (Vice President Research), Prof. Dr. André Heinemann and Prof. Dr. Michael Rochlitz (Faculty of Business Studies and Economics) extended their warm welcome to Prof. Yakovlev. During the meeting, Andrei Yakovlev offered many interesting insights into the current situation in Russia and discussed the implications of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The conflict has dealt a heavy blow to the Russian science and the academic exchange between Germany and Russia. However, all participants of the welcome event underlined that it is important to uphold personal ties with Russian researchers and consider possible new avenues for cooperation.