On April 1, Kazan National Research Technological University hosted the "Tech-Expedition" event organized by the corporate accelerator Industrix - a Gazprom Neft program for discovering and developing technological solutions in the oil and gas sector. Selected projects gain exceptional opportunities: refinement and pilot testing at company facilities, team development, and business scaling through work with internal customers.

Artem Nenko, Head of Open Innovation Programs, emphasized the accelerator's value for students, noting that Industrix seeks a wide range of technological solutions, with particular interest in innovations that could optimize geological exploration, capital construction, resource extraction and development processes.

Dmitry Samofalov, Head of Change Support, highlighted current industry challenges, focusing on production safety issues in oil and gas operations.

Elina Vasilyeva, Chief Engineer of the Office of Educational and Project Activities of Students, spoke about the university's opportunities for supporting and developing technological project ideas, including the “Startup as Diploma” program, the “Student Startup” competition, and the “Federal Platform for University Technological Entrepreneurship” project.

“The main goal for students participating in “Student Startup” is to develop entrepreneurial skills. Over five competition cycles, we have received more than 350 applications, with 95 KNRTU winners each receiving 1 million rubles to develop their technological projects. According to the results of 2024, our university ranked second in the “Top 1000 University Startups” Rating”, said Elina Vasilyeva.

The event also featured a presentation by Regina Gaffanova, a finalist of the program and PhD student of the Chemical Technology of Petroleum and Gas Processing of KNRTU.

Participants were engaged in a case championship, solving real-world production scenarios through business simulations, and received expert feedback on their startup ideas during speed mentoring sessions.

For those interested in joining future challenges, the Industrix corporate accelerator remains open for applications until April 20.

Application details are available via link (in Russian).