Starting from September 1st, biometric entrance will be available in the buildings of South Ural State University. The biometry-based ecosystem already now helps integrate the entrance access with payments for food at canteens and vending machines, and even with identity verification for the distance mode of taking exams. SUSU is the first in Russia to turn biometrics from a stand-alone service into an ecosystem of everyday university life.
This project implies that the university gets integrated into the Unified Biometric System, which provides the technological possibilities to link the main student services to a unified environment: access to academic buildings, payments for food at canteens and vending machines, identity verification for the distance mode of taking exams, and more. Therefore, this should be an integrated biometric infrastructure for everyday scenarios for students and teaching staff.
“Launching the biometric ecosystem at SUSU is a milestone event for the whole education community of our region. As the flagship university of the South Ural region, SUSU demonstrates an innovative approach to the organization of the educational process by implementing the first-in-our-country full-fledged biometric ecosystem, which is integrated into the everyday life of students and teaching staff. I feel confident that the modern identification technologies will make studying more convenient, and the university itself will become more attractive for applicants. We expect that this solution will serve as an example for other institutions of higher education in our region and across our country,” stresses Minister for Digital Technologies of the Chelyabinsk Region Igor Fetisov.
Biometric access points installed at our university entrances will be connected to the SUSU access monitoring and control systems. This solution uses a commercial biometric system connected to the Unified Biometric System, as well as our partners' solution Biosmart (access points equipment). The system verifies the identity once the user selects the operation, and grants access following the current access regulations. Data is processed in secure information systems according to the Russian legislation requirements.
“In the new academic year, we pay special attention to the development of our university environment. It is important for us that SUSU remains a safe and reliable place that preserves the unique atmosphere of student and academic life. We wish that students, teaching staff and guests of our university felt comfortable here. The biometric entrance system is a good example of how modern technologies can solve simple everyday tasks. It helps get rid of the queueing and saves time during the access procedures. Such solutions make daily-routine processes easier and more convenient and help find more time for studies, work, science, and socializing,” notes the SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner.
This project is a continuation of the collaboration between our university and the Centre for Biometric Technologies. Agreement between the two organizations was signed on December 5, 2024 and it implies the development of educational and research initiatives, joint programs, and opportunities for practical training of students in the fields of biometrics and information technologies.
“This project at SUSU shows how biometric technologies can integrate everyday scenarios of a whole university: from access to an academic building to payments for food, or identity verification for the distance mode of taking exams. We see it as a modern campus model that could be translated to other universities in our country,” emphasizes Director General of AO “Centre for Biometric Technologies” company Vladislav Povolotskii.
The created infrastructure could also be used for other voluntary scenarios: for example, for registration to university events, receiving certain library services, or using the sports facilities. The list of services will be determined based on the feedback from students and staff members.
In the future, this technology could be used for distance identity verification during exams, including in interaction with proctoring solutions.
The launch of this system at SUSU meets the digital agenda of the South Ural region. Following the results of the first half of 2026, the Chelyabinsk Region has taken the first place in the federal ranking of digital transformation of regions. Earlier, the Chelyabinsk Region became the first region in our country to offer services at Multifunctional Public Services Centres through biometry-based identity verification. Now this technological agenda becomes part of an ordinary day in student life.