Nguyen Thang

According to expert forecasts, the global market for digital solutions in the mining industry is expected to nearly double by 2030, reaching approximately 20 billion USD annually. In Russia, the digitalization of mining enterprises is advancing even more rapidly — by 2024, the market had reached nearly 40 billion rubles, compared to just 10 billion in 2022.

The exhibition of the Mining Museum features minerals and chemical compounds from nearly every region of the planet, including some of the most remote locations. However, certain specimens were produced just steps away from the museum halls — in the laboratories of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. One such example is yttrium oxide, which was donated to the museum by the staff of the Department of General and Physical Chemistry.

The oldest technical university in Russia celebrated its 249th graduation ceremony—just one year before its landmark anniversary. The graduates included bachelor’s, specialist, and master’s degree holders. Family members and professors gathered to congratulate the former students, now highly qualified engineers. As tradition dictates, the event began with the anthem of the Mining University.

Advanced IT solutions from the developer of Russia’s leading mining and geological information system are being integrated into the educational process as part of the new engineering training model.

Two groups of students and postgraduate researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Kharagpur and Dhanbad completed a short-term training program at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University as part of the international summer schools. The academic programs focused on current trends in the oil and gas industry and petroleum geology. The classes were organized by the Department of Petroleum and Gas Geology and conducted in English.

— Here’s English for you. Learn it from cover to cover — I’ll come and check! — Why do we need English? — We’re going to rob an embassy! This was the motivational speech delivered by the Assistant Professor to his ”wards” in the cult Soviet comedy Gentlemen of Fortune. The takeaway: even criminals, bandits, and other “unconscious” citizens acknowledged the authority and potential of learning a foreign language.

One of the key events at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was the Russia–Africa Business Dialogue. Its central theme could be summarized as the pursuit of economic sovereignty by the countries of the African continent.

The conference “Responsibility of Global Leaders in Mineral Reserves and Extraction for the Sustainable Development of the Global Economy” brought together representatives of regulatory authorities from the Russian Federation and several African countries, companies in the mineral resource sector, as well as specialized educational and public organizations.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the world’s largest island nation, Brian Yuliarto, paid a working visit to Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. In January of this year, Indonesia joined BRICS and has shown strong interest in joint projects with Russia.

Domestic expertise in the field of efficient subsoil use will contribute to strengthening the technological sovereignty of the continent. Participants of the one-year full-time professional retraining program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities” will include employees of resource extraction companies, government authorities, and universities from Africa. Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has launched the selection process for the program.

When the scientists of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University planned their two-month trip to the People’s Republic of China, they understood that although the primary objective was scientific research, the visit would be incomplete without exploring innovative enterprises and industrial sites. Bridging the gap between fundamental science and production is a crucial prerequisite for economic development through technology transfer—something well understood in China.

In April–May 2025, nine postgraduate students from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University completed a scientific internship at Taiyuan University of Technology. Upon returning to their alma mater, they shared the results and impressions of their trip with colleagues — deans, department heads, students, and fellow postgraduates — during an academic seminar. Setting the tone and direction of the event, the university’s rector, Vladimir Litvinenko, cited Pyotr Kapitsa: “Science must be a cheerful, captivating, and simple endeavor.”

The Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University was visited by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Trương Thanh Hoài. This visit can be considered an ”echo” of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, in May 2025, when the leaders of the two countries adopted a Joint Declaration on the main directions of Russian-Vietnamese relations in the framework of comprehensive strategic partnership.

A distinguished delegation from Taiyuan University of Technology met with the leadership of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The main agenda of the meeting was the creation of a joint educational institution that will train engineering specialists for both countries.

A crucial indicator of economic development is the amount of energy required to produce one unit of gross domestic product. For example, simply replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs can reduce lighting costs by eight times. This is just one of many ways to improve energy efficiency.

In early May, 16 first- and second-year students from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University became the first in Russia to complete a scientific internship in Iran. Shiraz University organized a lecture course on cybersecurity for the future specialists, and professors from the university discussed scientific projects with the young St. Petersburg students, some of which have already begun or are planned for international collaboration.