Gazprom Neft and ITMO Launch Center for High-Tech Chemistry

The research center can perform over 150 different studies, including those that had not been available to Russian companies before. Its specialization is the development and study of chemical inventions for the oil industry and related sectors. The center will annually hold hundreds of studies for companies based in Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs, Orenburg Oblast, and other Russian oil and gas regions. 

“Our innovative ecosystem includes 16 leading Russian universities, with many being our long-term partners in research, desk studies, expertise, and engineering services. The establishment of a novel laboratory with ITMO University is a major step towards improving our ecosystem and hence facilitating joint projects for the domestic oil and gas sector. The center is well-equipped to hold a whole complex of innovative studies, which is proved by the fact that we are already receiving commercial requests, including from other companies, too,” says Alexey Vashkevich, the Director for Technological Development of Gazprom Neft.

“We created a unique laboratory that will focus on demand-driven research in drilling and exploration, as well as oil production and transportation. The center will provide multiple opportunities for students to not only work on real-world cases using high technologies but also participate in the development of one-of-a-kind full-cycle products with a global potential. Students who will join the laboratory will acquire the competencies necessary to start a career at the company, efficiently learn and master experimental methods for studying fluids and chemicals, as well as automation and modeling of production processes. Apart from that, the center will boost business and science cooperation,” comments Maya Uspenskaya, the head of Gazprom Neft-ITMO Research and Education Center and a professor at ITMO’s Center for Chemical Engineering.

The center for high-tech chemistry is located in the former building of the state loan bank on Grivtsova Ln., which was renovated by Gazprom Neft and is currently home to several ITMO faculties. The lab team includes 16 specialists, including the university’s professors, the company’s scientists, and students of ITMO’s Bioeconomics and Resource Management Master’s program. The laboratory offers internships, stipends, and paid research projects for Master’s students. 

Apart from the center for high-tech chemistry, ITMO University has two joint Master’s programs with Gazprom Neft (Functional Safety of Autonomous Transport Vehicles and Software Engineering), as well as a joint research and education center.

Earlier on, Gazprom Neft and ITMO signed an agreement to establish a new world-class innovative industrial center in St. Petersburg that will produce sensors, robots, drone control systems, computing systems, and other digital solutions for the oil and gas sector.

ITMO University's press office