Results of the Foresight Session «Competencies of the Specialist of the Future» as part of the Tatarstan Petrochemical Forum – 2025

On August 27−28, 2025, the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center hosted the Foresight Session "Competencies of the Specialist of the Future" (hereinafter referred to as the Foresight session), organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council Association, and Kazan Expo ANO.

The key theme of this year was "Technologies of Sustainability: Ecology as a Driver of Innovation in the Oil and Gas Industry".

The large-scale two-day intellectual marathon brought together 37 students from 11 leading Russian universities.

The geography of the participants covered 9 cities — from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, from Tyumen to Astrakhan and Kazan.

The Foresight session opened with a major practical block — industrial tours, organized for the first time in 2025. Future specialists visited Nefis Cosmetics JSC, a flagship of the Russian chemical industry and a leader in the production of household chemicals and cosmetics, as well as Technopolis Himgrad, a center for innovation and technological development.

At Nefis Cosmetics, students learned about the company’s history and visited its specialized enterprises: the candle plant, the liquid detergents plant, and the dry cleaning products plant.

A unique experience for students was the visit to Technopolis Himgrad. Participants explored the activities of the technopark, the product portfolio of its residents, and visited a number of innovative enterprises.

Students were introduced to developments ranging from metal processing and medical technologies to the production of industrial drones and aircraft interiors.

This new format had particularly valuable: immersion in real production processes, acquaintance with potential employers and advanced technologies allowed students to appreciate companies' contributions to the sustainable development of the region and the country, and to see the oil, gas, and chemical sector in practice. This experience enhanced the applied value of the Foresight session, broadened horizons, and laid a solid foundation for further project work and professional growth.

As part of the Foresight session, students also visited the Kazan Oil, Gas&Chemistry International Petrochemical Exhibition, held during the Tatarstan Petrochemical Forum — 2025. A special role in the exhibition program was played by the patriotic exposition "Twice Winners", dedicated to the contribution of oil, gas, and chemical workers of the Tatar ASSR to the Great Victory. It allowed students to connect with historical heritage, appreciate generational continuity, and see how past achievements are linked with today’s and tomorrow’s innovations.

The knowledge and impressions gained became a logical continuation of the program and a strong basis for subsequent work. Visits to leading enterprises, acquaintance with exhibition participants, and the patriotic exposition allowed students to get in touch with real production and set a practice-oriented vector for the entire Foresight session.

At the opening ceremony on August 27, Vlada Streletskaya, Director of the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council Association, addressed the participants with the welcome speech, emphasizing the importance of the younger generation’s human potential and its decisive role in shaping the future of the industry.

The main task of the participants was to create a detailed roadmap reflecting forecasts for the development of the oil, gas, and chemical sector over the coming decades.

1. Identification of trends;
2. Analysis of trends;
3. Selection of technologies;
4. Risk and opportunity assessment;
5. Forecasting of key catalyst events.

At the initial stage, 25 trends were proposed, with 9 key environmental areas ultimately selected:

1. Strengthening measures to prevent environmental pollution;
2. Increasing hydrocarbon processing depth;
3. Decarbonization;
4. Implementation of ecological recycling;
5. Reducing the use of natural resources;
6. Expanding eco-initiatives;
7. Growth in the use of alternative energy sources;
8. Improving oil and gas extraction technologies;
9. Reducing the toxicity of petrochemical products.

During the technology selection stage, teams worked across four planning horizons:

near-term (2025−2030), mid-term (2030−2050), long-term (2050−2070), and an "unthinkable but possible" script.

Bold concepts were proposed and justified with implementation timelines.

Among the most striking ideas:

• Nanofiber grids for oil spill response;
• Personal protective equipment made from recycled plastic;
• Energy-generating piezoelectric roads;
• "Exo-ants" for autonomous monitoring of sludge storage facilities;
• Grid-based systems for physical field scanning of deposits;
• "Spinal pipes" - a new concept of flexible and repairable pipelines.

The first day concluded with preliminary results: from trend analysis and the selection of priorities to bold proposals for innovative solutions. Each stage highlighted critical thinking and strategic foresight. By the second day, students developed a comprehensive vision of the technological future of the petrochemical industry, culminating in an integrated roadmap combining scientific rigor with practical relevance.

The Session was moderated by Elena Raevskaya, Head of the Training Efficiency Program at Gazprom Neft Corporate University, who ensured productive teamwork and constructive dialogue with experts.

On August 28, industry and academic experts joined the discussions, expanding perspectives and deepening analysis.

Tatneft PJSC named after V.D. Shashin specialists Petr Kubarev, Head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Ecology, and Alexey Farkhutdinov, Leading Environmental and Climate Impact Analyst, presented on the company’s achievements in integrating environmental principles into production processes.

Yulduz Usmanova, Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, Associate Professor at Kazan National Research Technical University, spoke on linking fundamental science with practical ecological solutions in petrochemistry.

Closing the Foresight session, Kirill Molodtsov, Member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, highlighted the role of youth in the development of Russia’s energy sector.

In his report, he emphasized that young specialists are the key resource for the sustainable development of the country, and their ideas and initiatives can set new benchmarks for the energy industry and the country. He noted the importance of such events, where the human resources potential in demand by the real economy is formed, and where students have the opportunity to directly communicate with industry leaders.

Kirill Molodtsov expressed confidence that participation in the Foresight session will be an important step for students on the path to professional development and will allow them to feel their involvement in the future of Russian energy today.

Dmitry Guskov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan, was the guest of honor at the closing ceremony. He praised the depth of student projects and expressed gratitude to the participants for their bold and promising ideas.

Dmitry Guskov noted that the solutions presented at the Foresight session have potential for application in industry and can become the basis for future innovative projects of the Republic of Tatarstan. He outlined the importance of combining academic science and practical tasks of enterprises and expressed confidence that the experience gained will help students in their further professional development.

Special nomination "Generators of the Future" was awarded to the most effective and promising student team. The winners demonstrated the ability to think outside the box, propose technologically sound solutions and defend their ideas before the expert community.

The projects proposed by the team were recognized as promising in terms of practical implementation and further development. The awards were presented to the winners by Dmitry Guskov and Kirill Molodtsov.

Tatneft PJSC named after V.D. Shashin also honored three students who demonstrated the greatest activity, creativity and depth of development of the presented ideas.

The Foresight session also included an awards ceremony of the winners of the Golden Legacy of the World Petroleum Council scholarship competition, one of the most prestigious awards for young professionals and future leaders in the oil and gas industry, organized by the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council Association. For the second year, the award ceremony has been held at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center.

During the existence of the program, ten competitive selections have already been held, as a result of which 91 students from 25 leading universities in Russia became scholarship recipients. This award is rightfully considered a sign of recognition of academic achievement, innovative thinking and the desire to contribute to the future of the energy sector of the Russian Federation.

In 2025, ten talented students who demonstrated a high level of knowledge, a creative approach and deep involvement in the professional community became scholarship recipients.

The awards were presented to the winners by Kirill Molodtsov and Dmitry Guskov, who emphasized the importance of supporting young people and their role in shaping the sustainable future of the industry.

Over two intensive days, the Foresight Session became a truly unique platform uniting industry professionals and the new generation.

This intellectual marathon laid a solid foundation for exchanging experience and implementing promising ideas, demonstrating how a practice-oriented format can transform knowledge and skills into real tools for professional growth.

The experience gained will be an important step in participants' career development, enabling them to apply their knowledge in practice and contribute to the advancement of Russia’s petrochemical sector.