Over 200 participants from 29 countries fought to win; projects on dimethyl ether, graphene and AI for the gas industry were recognized as the best.
On 7-10 October 2025, 39 participants from 12 countries presented their projects for the gas industry to judges within the final of the International Acceleration Program “NaturalGas & Accelerator”.
The event united students and young specialists from Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Zambia, India, Iran, China, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Serbia and Tanzania, all of whom were selected out of 200 candidates, graduated from the Virtual Academy “Energy Projects: Technologies for Sustainable Future of the Natural Gas”, and presented their projects at SPIGF.
Projects and Winners
Projects presentation appeared to be the cornerstone of the Youth Day. By the decision of the judges, he winners were:
1st place: Project “The Case for an Industrial Shift towards DME”. The team suggested a solution on decarbonization and transition to more environmentally friendly fuels.
2nd place: Project “High-Quality Graphene from Natural Gas”. The project suggests new ways to diversify the products of the gas industry.
3d place: Project “GASIGHT: AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance and Optimization for Gas Infrastructure”. The solution is aimed to increase reliability and efficiency of gas transmission systems.
The Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, handed out certificates to the winners and mentioned the increasing interest to the gas industry among youngsters.
Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom, Sergey Khomyakov, said: “Youth Day is a special place where students, universities and business may meet to focus on young generation. During the recent 10 seasons, we have managed to create a particular academic community, the competition has been participated in by over 2000 people from 70 countries. This event can appear an impetus to build a career in gas industry for many participants. The initiative, launched by Gazprom and UNECON, is more than just an investment. It is a strategic view on our future, future of the gas industry”.
Convention and networking program
Besides competition, the participants were offered a rich program that included SPIGF Plenary Session and large exhibition; corporate exposition “Gazprom – territory of technological leadership”; stand of Comita Group of Companies;lecture hall “Gazprom Open Science”; press-session from Gazprom ID; and interactive tour around Expoforum. Team leaders were invited to a business breakfast with representatives of Gazprom management.
Traditional off-tie meeting between top-managers of leading companies from the gas industry and participants was dedicated to the topic “GAS.NEXT: Brain Games. How Young Innovators Can Reshape the Gas Market by 2035”. It included discussion of such issues as future of gas industry, international collaboration, staff training, digital transformation, new jobs and career opportunities for youngsters.
About NG&Accelerator
International Acceleration Program “NaturalGas & Accelerator” is held within the Youth Day of SPIGF. The aim of the program is to find and support talented students and young specialists who are interested in gas industry. The program is carried out by Gazprom, UNECON, Expoforum International under support of consortium of industry companies and universities, including Comita Group of Companies, Gazprom Neft, Rosatom, Gazprom ID, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Tomsk Polytechnic University and experts of the industry. The project has been successfully implemented since 2015.
