On 31 July 2025, the Virtual Academy as part of the International Acceleration Program “Natural Gas & Accelerator” (Youth Day of SPGF) was finished.
This year, more than 200 applications for participation in the NG&Accelerator program were received from students and young researchers from 29 countries and 50 universities. Based on the results of the entrance testing, 83 participants were invited to the first stage – the Virtual Academy, which was held on 7-31 July 2025 and combined the educational and project tracks of the NG&Accelerator program.
The Virtual Academy participants attended useful and informative webinars from experts – representatives of large energy and IT companies. The main topics included current issues of energy industry development at the present stage, the use of AI in energy field, the possibilities of using AI in project management, the role of advanced technologies in the development of the gas industry, and strategic guidelines for the gas business. International experience was presented by Indian colleagues, who spoke about the growth of the Indian natural gas sector.
In addition, within the framework of the Virtual Academy, participants divided into teams and began project work. Under the guidance of experienced trackers, 12 teams developed concepts, research methodology, and visualized their ideas. As part of the project defense (pitch session), all teams presented their projects, which were assessed by experts from Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Comita Digital Technologies, Gazprom VNIIGAZ. The teams also received useful feedback from experts, which they will be able to use in further project and research work on their topics.
As result, 60 participants from 17 countries and 25 universities were congratulated and awarded certificates for the successful completion of the Virtual Academy. Based on the results of the project defense, 7 winning teams (40 people) were announced, who will be able to take part in the next stage of the NG&Accelerator program – Youth Day of SPIGF, which will take place on 7-10 October 2025 in St. Petersburg. Young people represent 20 universities and 12 countries: Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Zambia, India, Iran, China, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Serbia, Tanzania.
Program of the Virtual Academy
List of projects (implemented in English):
Team 1 – Graphene from Natural Gas – WINNER
Team 2 – Cold Plasma Method for Methane Decomposition at Oil and Gas Production Sites – WINNER
Team 3 – Green Gas for Green Growth: Biogas Production Using Miscanthus for the Gasification
Team 4 – Real-time digital twin of a gas facility – WINNER
Team 5 – OIL&GAS 4.0
Team 6 – Next Generation Pipeline Integrity: Extending Lifespan in Harsh Climate with Smart Material and Predictive AI – WINNER
Team 7 – Hydrogen Integration in Process Industry: Technological, Economics & Sustainability Assessment
Team 8 – AI for Production Controlling and Planning: Revolutionizing Industrial Efficiency – WINNER
Team 9 – Offshore Project on the Arctic Continental Shelf
Team 10 – GASIGHT: AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance and Optimisation for Gas Infrastructure – WINNER
Team 11 – Making the Case for an Industrial Shift Towards DME – WINNER
Team 12 – Comprehensive continuous training system TwinSafe Gas Trainer for the Gas Industry
