Young innovators presented future of gas industry in the final of NG&Accelerator within the Youth Day of SPIGF

The final of the International Acceleration Program “Natural Gas & Accelerator” (the key event of the Youth Day of SPIGF) took place on 7-10 October 2025 in St. Petersburg. In united 39 finalists from 12 countries, selected out of over 200 candidates, who competed to be recognized the best.

The program was organized by Gazprom, Expoforum International, and UNECON under support of the companies and universities consortium that included Comita Group of Companies, Gazprom Neft, Rosatom, Gazprom ID, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Tomsk Polytechnic University and experts of the energy business.

In spring 2025, over 200 students and young specialists from 29 countries applied to participate in the International Acceleration Program “NG&Accelerator” that included educational and project tracks.

Within the program, the participants studied at the Virtual Academy “Energy Projects: Technologies for a Sustainable Future of Natural Gas”, where they were lectured by partners of the project.

In the meanwhile, having formed 12 teams, the participants started working on their innovative projects under support of the trackers: Yuliya Bichun (UNECON), Vitaly Bobrov (H2B), Irina Borovskaya (UNECON) and Anna Kovaleva (UNECON).

After a selection process, 7 teams (39 participants from 12 countries), who had presented most promising solutions, were invited to a final event of NG&Accelerator – Youth Day of SPIGF. The range of countries represented by the participants included Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Zambia, India, Iran, China, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Serbia and Tanzania.

Opening Ceremony was attended by organizers and partners of the project.

Sergey Khomyakov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom

“It is the eleventh time we open the Youth Day at SPIGF. It is a special place where students, universities and business may meet to focus on the young generation. During the recent 10 seasons, we have managed to create a particular academic community. The competition has been participated in by over 2000 people from 70 countries. This event can appear an impetus to build a career in gas industry for many participants. The initiative, launched by Gazprom and UNECON, is more than just an investment. It is a strategic view on our future, future of the gas industry. I wish you all creative work, effective preparation, new impressions and new friends”.

Alexey Danshin, Director General of Comita Innotech

“I would love to congratulate you all as, being a finalist, each of you appears the winner. Some of you have defeated themselves, the others – the competitors, but most important is that you have the future. I congratulate you on being a part of this competition. It is of paramount importance that you build your future of right fundamentals of technology, economy and ecology. This program is a unique synergy that unites experts for the fields of engineering, IT, economics and social sciences. Not only does your work deserve attention, but it is also worth being implemented. I, therefore, hope that our experts, who will actively participate in the forum, will help you with it”.

Igor Maskimtsev, Rector of UNECON

 “Your path to the final was not simple. Not everyone has managed to make it. Yet, you are here, which means you are the best. It is a great honor for me to greet you here on your big day. Such moments may become for you an impetus to build your careers and to collaborate with the leader of the industry – Gazprom. Mind that though the winners will be announced at the end of the competition, each of you is already a winner. I wish you to keep spirit of collaboration that will help you to move on as strong teams. I am convinced that you will come back to Russia, where you will always be welcome by our expert community. Good luck!”

Yana Klementovitchus, Director of HES UNECON, Vice-Rector of UNECON

“I would love to thank everyone who helped us to get together here, in St. Petersburg, today. Thanks to our partners this meeting became feasible. Our project has been carried out for 10 years. Searching for innovations, we created a new format – international accelerators. The most valuable for us is not only organizational support, but also dedication and commitment of the experts, who have worked with you remotely before and now here, at the site of SPIGF. I would like to express our gratitude to Expoforum and the board of the Gas Forum for both atmosphere of collaboration we experience here and conditions for cooperation and efficient work they created. We should praise such universities as St. Petersburg State University of Economics which stands at the origins of the project, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas and Tomsk Polytechnic University. Thank you all for collaboration and my wishes for the fascinating work!”

Presentation of innovative projects, moderated by Natalia Sarakhanova, Academic Director of NG&Accelerator, who coordinated the participants and experts throughout the whole program, and Tatyana Krylova, Expert of School of Business and International Proficiency of MGIMO University, became the cornerstone of the Youth Day.

Project “The Case for an Industrial Shift towards DME” (team tracker – Anna Kovaleva, UNECON) – was awarded the first place

• Šibulov Vuk (team leader) – Comita Group of Compamies
• Ibeogo Godwin – Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
• Ushpik Ilya – Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
• Khalilova Aysel – Tyumen State University
• Chileshe Chantell – University of Zambia

Project “High-Quality Graphene from Natural Gas” (team tracker – Yuliya Bichun, UNECON) – was awarded the second place

• Surnin Aleksei (team leader) – Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials
• Alkhimovich Leonid – St. Petersburg State University (Graduate School of Management)
• Kapichnikov Alexey – Bauman Moscow State Technical University
• Rak Ksenia – Gazpromneft Moscow Refinery
• Tureev Nikita – National Research University ITMO

Project “GASIGHT: AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance and Optimization for Gas Infrastructure” (team tracker – Anna Kovaleva, UNECON) – was awarded the third place

• Alvarado Navarro Marilaura (team leader) – St. Petersburg State University (Graduate School of Management)
• Izbiakov Nikita – Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
• Samsonova Kseniya – Investment Office
• Tojaga Bojan – Comita Group of Compamies
• Ho Huong Thao – Yersin Da Lat University

Project “Cold Plasma Method for Methane Decomposition at Oil and Gas Production Sites” (team tracker – Yuliya Bichun, UNECON)

• Temurkaeva Sibilla (team leader) – Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
• Belyi Roman – Ukhta State Technical University / Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta
• Kapishnikov Dmitrii – Bauman Moscow State Technical University
• Lantsov Daniil – St. Petersburg State University (Graduate School of Management)
• Mustafin Islam – Liaoning Petrochemical University
• Rakitina Mariia – Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas

Project “AI Assistant for Gas Compressor Unit Efficiency” (team tracker – Bobrov Vitaly, head of projects, H2B)

• Mironova Mariia (team leader) – St. Petersburg State University (Graduate School of Management)
• Arab Yousof Abad Mohammad – St. Petersburg State University
• Gainullin Radis – Kazan National Research Technological University
• Zhdanovich Vladimir – Euphrosyne Polotskaya State University of Polotsk
• Li Fulian – Shandong Technology and Business University

Project “Next Generation Pipeline Integrity – Extending Lifespan in Harsh Climate with Smart Material and Predictive AI” (team tracker – Bobrov Vitaly, head of projects, H2B)

• Nzeakor Chizoba (team leader) – National Research University ITMO
• Diagileva Anastasiia – Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
• Keller Danil – Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
• Lema Elizabeth – Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
• Nikolaev Artyom – Lomonosov Moscow State University
• Smorokov Andrey – National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University
• Soloviev Evgeniy – Kazan National Research Technological University

Project “Predictive Analytics App” (team tracker – Borovskaya Irina, UNECON)

• Penar Elizaveta (team leader) – Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
• Gaifullin Damir – Kazan National Research Technological University / Gazprom Pererabotka
• Kapit – St. Petersburg State University (Graduate School of Management)
• Nuhu Aminu – Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
• Rašeta Dunja – Comita Group of Compamies
• Terrazas Mamani Rivaldo Raymond – New Horizons (energy specialist)

The judges praised the concepts and research capacity of the teams, their collaboration with each other, ability to analyze and forecast. The experts gave their recommendations to the teams for further implementation of the projects and professional growth in the industry. 

Board of judges included:

• Alexey Koshelets, Head of Division of Gazprom;
• Konstantin Slanov, Business Development Director of Comita Digital Technologies;
• Leonid Potapov, Head of the program for the development of the training system in the field of ITAT of Gazprom Neft;
• Leonid Sukhikh, Rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University;
• Olga Orlova, Head of Banking and Financial Markets Department, Executive Director of the Endowment Fund of UNECON.

Within the awards ceremony, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom, greeted the participants and awarded the winners with certificates. He mentioned that currently a large number of young specialists choose to work in the energy industry, which is the leading industry of the global economy that unites profound knowledge and numerous spheres, being, therefore, interesting, dynamic and innovative.

Team leaders participated in a particularly special event – business breakfast with Gasprom managing team. They had an exclusive opportunity to discuss both their projects and questions of project management and leadership. Yury Diatchenko, Deputy Head of Department of Gazprom, Aleksandr Kusovatov,Deputy Head of Department – Head of Directorate of Gazprom,and Dmitry Vasilenko,Vice-Rector for International Affairs of UNECON, Director of NG&Accelerator, shared their expert opinions with the participants.

Besides, participants attended the Plenary Session of SPIGF “Natural Gas Market in 2025-2035: New Contours in a Fast-Moving Environment” that was attended by ministers of energy and representatives of ministries of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Pakistan. Participants got to know a lot about the current global gas architecture and attended a large exhibition of the forum. 

At a corporate exhibition “Gazprom – Territory of Technological Leadership” the participants explored samples of equipment, high-tech products and innovative solutions for the oil and gas sector. Being a guarantee of technological sovereignty and leadership, solutions aimed for the import substitution were largely appreciated.

Within the tour round the stand of Comita Group of Companies the participants and the company’s representatives discussed automation of production, development of an independent AI-platform, studied virtual mimic panel and had a virtual visit to workshops to become thoroughly familiar with the equipment.

Alexander Taganov (Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas) made a presentation at a lecture hall “Gazprom Open Science”. The lecture was on the history of gas markets development, growth of competition with the advent of LNG and shale gas, as well as it raised the issues of gas hubs impact on pricing and contracts. The speaker touched upon the prospects of Chinese, Indian and Brazilian markets while the international participants got actively involved in the discussion telling about gas industry in their countries.

Traditional “off-tie meeting” “GAS.NEXT: Brain Games. How Young Innovators Can Reshape the Gas Market by 2035” held in the form of generations dialogue, was dedicated to the discussion of the gas industry future, international collaboration, staff training, digital transformation, new jobs and career opportunities for youngsters.

The discussion was attended by Aleksandr Kuzovatov, Deputy Head of Department – Head of Directorate of Gazprom; Kiril Polous, Deputy Head of Department – Head of Directorate of Gazprom; Dusan Bajatovic, Director General of Srbijagas; Andrey Vetoshkin, Director General of Gazprom ID; Janco Lončar, Director General of Comita Slovenija; Rogerio Sacchi, Director General of Porto Norte Fluminense and moderated by Dmitry Vasilenko, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of UNECON, Director of NG&Accelerator.

Another important event organized within the Youth Day was press-session from Gazprom ID. Representatives of GID met with the finalists and recorded a series of motivational interviews about the present and the future of the industry. The participants were presented a career platform Universe  https://gid.education/?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=ng+accelerator, which appears to be the ecosystem aimed to aid young specialists to build successful careers in the sphere of energy.

Besides, the participants could visit an interactive tour around Expoforum that allowed them to get backstage and to assess the scale of work done to organize large events. The participants were amazed by the production of stands, mobile transforming halls and service provided to thousands of visitors of the congress hall.

Intense three-day program ended with the Closing ceremony. Aleksandr Kuzovatov, Deputy Head of Department – Head of Directorate of Gazprom, mentioned that not only did the international teams manage to discuss the trends, but they also found applied technological solutions to the challenges of the energy sector. He also wished young specialists to see their participation in the program as a springboard to build their careers and to have their projects implemented in the real world.

Natalia Evtushenko, Deputy Director General for Human Resources of Comita Group of Companies, emphasized the role of young generations as a driver of innovations. She was impressed by the work conducted by the team leaders who managed to unite representatives of various countries in efficient teams, and awarded them with souvenirs.

The ceremony finished with the all participants being awarded with certificates and prizes.

The cultural program included a gala-dinner at Gazprom Arena and the city tour round St. Petersburg, including the visit to the public space of Lakhta centre.