Society

Leading specialists from government authorities and companies of Africa’s mineral resource complex who are participating in the one-year educational program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities” at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, were given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with key specialized institutions in Moscow.

During the period from 19 to 20 December 2025, a delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University took part in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, held in the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Cairo, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov.

The scientific project “Hope – Mobile Intelligence,” which Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University is implementing jointly with Shiraz University, has reached its two-year milestone. A representative delegation from the Iranian university arrived in the city of Neva to work with colleagues in defining plans for the future.

From 19 to 20 December, the foreign ministers of African countries and Sergey Lavrov will convene in Cairo. A delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has also been invited to the meeting. The University plays a flagship role in educational cooperation with Africa, through the “Nedra Africa” consortium and the International Competence Centre for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.

Russia lagged behind Europe by more than six centuries in the opening of classical universities. The first in the world, Bologna, was founded in 1088. In Ancient Rus’, the centers of knowledge at that time were monastic schools. In engineering education, the picture is fundamentally different: Russia, together with the most advanced countries of Europe, stands at the origins of the creation of the first specialized technical higher schools.

Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University continues to accelerate its scientific and educational cooperation with Africa. Alongside holding large-scale forums and summits, the creation of specialized consortia, and the signing of memoranda on cooperation, targeted promotion of Russian technical universities plays an important role in building a strong engineering corps for the continent.

The polar explorers of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University have concluded the first and only day off of their trip. Both the ”newcomers” and the veterans shared their impressions of the flight and Cape Town with Forpost. Anatoly Ozhigin, design engineer at the Scientific Center “Arctic”:

A delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University participated in the 32nd International Congress of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), which was held under the theme ”Engineering the Future”.

In just a few weeks, in early December, the polar team of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University will depart for the Sixth Continent. The route is traditional. A flight from St. Petersburg to Cape Town, then a passage aboard the research expedition vessel “Akademik Fedorov” from Cape Town to Progress Station. Forpost spoke with the head of the university’s field team, Alexey Bolshunov, about the tasks facing the party this season and what fundamentally distinguishes it from previous years.

Early next week, the Field Team of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University will depart for Cape Town, from where the research expedition vessel Akademik Fedorov will take them to Antarctica.