This is the 17999th most frequent Russian word.
филиал
Branch or subsidiary.
Here, 'филиал' means a branch of an organization or company, specifically a bank in this example, operating as an extension of the main entity in a different location.
Этот банк открыл новый филиал в соседнем городе.
This bank opened a new branch in the neighboring city.
In this sentence, 'филиал' refers to subsidiary locations or divisions of the university, spread across various geographical regions to operate locally.
Университет имеет филиалы во многих странах мира.
The university has branches in many countries around the world.
Here, 'филиал' implies a specific division or office within the larger organization focusing on a particular function, in this case, software development.