The IV All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Current Trends in the Digital Transformation of Industrial Enterprises", organized by the Department of Logistics and Management, has completed its work at KNRTU. Despite the official All-Russian status of the event, the conference was traditionally attended by representatives of universities from neighboring countries (the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus). The conference program includes 115 reports, face—to-face and online, with an extensive geography of participants (across Russia - from Belgorod to Irkutsk). The participating partners of the conference included industry enterprises such as Kazanorgsintez PJSC, Sibur-Digital LLC and others.

The plenary and breakout sessions were attended not only by faculty representatives and guests of our university, but also by students. The latter circumstance fully corresponded to the stated goal of the conference — to ensure the involvement of students, postgraduates and young scientists in research work on the development of industrial enterprises in the digital economy and the discussion of topical issues of digital transformation of the industrial complex by foreign and domestic reputable researchers.

The presence of future young researchers, engineers, and businessmen at the scientific forum organized by the Department is certainly significant for shaping their professional views and approaches. As Anna Sukhristina, Director of the Institute of Innovation Management at KNRTU, noted at the opening of the conference, the scientific interests of the department headed by Professor Alexey Shinkevich are literally on the frontier of scientific and pedagogical activity in the Russian Federation and even on the global agenda. "You always keep up with the time!" the director addressed the teachers of the LiU department.

The activities of the department also have an important intra-university significance, Gulnaz Lutfullina, head of the Educational and Methodological Department, emphasized, welcoming the organizers and participants of the conference on behalf of the university leadership. The department actively participates in the implementation of the university's development program within the framework of the Priority 2030 project, its work is fully organized in accordance with the three leading principles of KNRTU - student—centricity, practice orientation and product approach, the department maintains close contact with partner enterprises. This, Professor Gulnaz Lutfullina emphasized, is indicated by the title and composition of the reports of the current conference.

The participants of the conference were welcomed online by one of the leading figures in logistics education in our country, a long—time partner of the Department and a member of the conference program committee, Professor Vladimir Shcherbakov, Head of the Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at St. Petersburg State University of Economics, who drew the attention of colleagues to the most pressing tasks currently facing in the training of specialists in the industry. "The business has now accumulated very significant experience in the digitalization of production and expects the appropriate level of competence of graduates," he stressed.

Online presentations by representatives of the Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship of the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana, Kazakhstan) reflected the actively developing contacts of the LiU Department with Kazakh colleagues Bibigul Isaeva and Urpash Shalbolova. Kazakhstan scientists talked about how important it is to organize a comprehensive scientific discussion of digital transformation in the context of rapid changes in production. Kazakhstan pays great attention to these issues — in September of this year, the first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development in Central Asian countries was established. As President of the Republic Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted when announcing this event: "To become part of a new technological order, it will be necessary to rebuild the entire system of public administration," and the creation of a separate ministry is the first step on this path.

On behalf of the partner enterprises, the conference participants were greeted by the Deputy Director of the Scientific and Production Complex for Production Activities, Head of Shop 19 of ONPP JSCA. G. Romashin Technology and at the same time Dmitry Kharitonov, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical Technology of Ceramics and Refractories at the Mendeleev Russian Technical Technical University.

The conference held its plenary and breakout sessions on November 28-29. The conference was held within the framework of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation "Conducting Basic Scientific Research and exploratory scientific research on behalf (instructions) of the President of the Russian Federation" (interdisciplinary projects) (No. 25-69-00012).