X season "CASE-IN":  Towards new horizons!

The final was held in Moscow on May 25-27, 2022. X seasons The International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN", which is included in the presidential platform "Russia – the land of opportunities".  Over the course of three days, 600 students of specialized universities and young specialists from leading companies from 42 regions of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan demonstrated innovative developments on the topic of "Industry 4.0" to the country's industry community and raffled off the main prizes of the anniversary season.

In 2022, the CASE-IN championship brought together participants of the School and Student Leagues, as well as the League of Young Professionals and the Special League of PJSC T Plus. In total, 6,753 future and young engineers participated in the development of projects on the topic "Industry 4.0" during the season.

Opening the event, the founder and co-chairman of the organizing committee of the CASE-IN Championship Artem Korolev He said that the project started in 2013 with one student's field "Mining" and 13 participating universities. Today, these are 10 areas in the Student League, separate competitions for schoolchildren and young professionals, as well as dozens of corporate projects under the auspices of CASE-IN.

"The ten-year path of the championship was long and thorny, but at the same time it flew by in one breath. It took the organizers several years to work out all the details and convince the participants, experts and teachers of the practical significance of the project. Today, the CASE-IN brand is well-known in many universities, large companies, and even related industries. But the championship would not have been so successful without the support of our friends and partners: ANO "Russia – the land of Opportunities", federal agencies, industry companies and universities. Together, as one friendly team, we have educated more than one generation of promising future engineers. But we are not going to stop there. The championship has ambitious plans ahead – to become an integral part of educational and production processes in every specialized university in the country and industry companies. I am sure that in close cooperation with our partners we will be able to carry out our plans.", – underlined Artem Korolev.

Welcoming the finalists at the award ceremony, Director General of ANO "Russia – the Land of Opportunities" Alexey Komissarov He noted that in 10 years the Student League has become the most widespread in terms of the number and geography of participants.:

"If earlier the league brought together students of only "mining" universities, then in the jubilee X season 10 diverse areas are represented here: automation and IT, geological exploration, mining, mining machinery and equipment, metallurgy, oil and gas, petrochemistry, project engineering, industrial safety, electric power industry. 134 teams of 108 universities from 44 cities of Russia met in the final of the Student League, including a team from the Republic of Kazakhstan and 3 teams from the Republic of Belarus. I am sure that their ideas will find application at the country's leading production sites, and the contestants themselves will become highly qualified specialists in the foreseeable future."

15 youth teams from 14 companies have reached the finals of the League of Young Professionals: they have developed projects for changes in the management system that will ensure technological development and minimize the risks associated with the irretrievable loss of qualified personnel.

Traditionally, as part of the "CASE-IN", PJSC T Plus holds its own competition: the final brought together youth teams from 6 branches who developed and presented promising technologies to improve the quality of energy supply.

Every year, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation acts as the national partner of the championship. Guest of the final, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Anastasia Bondarenko He believes that the engineering championship occupies an important place in the youth policy of the industry.

"The Russian Ministry of Energy has been supporting the championship for several years. In our opinion, the events that take place under the auspices of CASE-IN have a positive impact on the popularization of the fuel and energy complex and are already an integral part of the youth agenda of the fuel and energy complex. For young professionals, this is a good starting point and a promising opportunity to work in the country's leading companies.", – Anastasia Bondarenko noted at the award ceremony.

NUST MISIS has been participating in the CASE-IN championship since 2014, and this year it once again hosted the anniversary season finale. Rector of the University Alevtina Chernikova In her welcoming speech, she emphasized:

"Our students take an active part in this competition and have repeatedly become its winners and prize-winners. It is a great honor for the university to host the final of the tenth anniversary season of CASE-IN, which helps all participants put into practice the knowledge gained during their studies and try their hand at solving real production problems proposed by the business partners of the championship."

During the three days of the final of the X season, the competitions of the Student League, the League of Young Professionals and the Special League of PJSC "T Plus" were held.  Representatives of the partner companies of the championship took part in awarding the champions and prize-winners: JSC SO UES, JSC ALROSA, PJSC YATEK, NIPIGAZ, JSC Gazstroyprom, PJSC SIBUR Holding, RUSAL, Micromine, JSC MHC EuroChem, IMC Montan.

St. Petersburg became the leader of the championship - students of the northern capital won 6 sets of awards. Moscow students took the second place: 5 sets of awards, 2 sets each were taken away by future and young engineers from Tatarstan, Perm Krai and guests from Belarus.

On the first day of the finals, the prizes were distributed by future specialists of the oil and gas industry, metallurgists, as well as builders and design engineers. The young people presented their solutions to leading industry experts, and the best were awarded well–deserved awards by the Director General of ANO Russia - the Land of Opportunities Alexey Komissarov and the State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Anastasia Bondarenko.

The case was developed by RUSAL for the participants of the Metallurgy direction.

Director of the Digital Solutions Department of JSC United Company RUSAL Artur Arustamov He told me: "I actively follow the activities that our company conducts with schoolchildren and students, and I believe that we do it best of all. When I was invited to participate in one of these championships in the winter of 2022,"CASE-IN"I accepted this challenge with pleasure. Why the challenge? It was necessary to formulate a business task that would be interesting for students of all universities of the Russian Federation to solve and not only set the task, but also to learn from working together with students, with a generation that understands modern trends and technologies, and something new for our company. The solutions presented by the teams have already shown people who are ready for the challenges of Industry 4.0. The three teams from the finals were the most interesting, and they already highlight those with whom you can work on digital products in combat conditions."

For the second year in a row, students from Lipetsk State Technical University were in the lead among metallurgists. The second place was taken by the team of the Siberian Federal University. The guests of the final, students of the Belarusian-Russian University, won the bronze medal.

The task for the participants of the Project Engineering direction was prepared by NIPIGAZ company, and the team of Kazan National Research Technological University had no equal in its implementation. Two more prize-winning medals are going to the northern capital: students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University became vice-champions, representatives of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering won the bronze medal.

The assignment for the participants of the Project Engineering direction was prepared by NIPIGAZ experts. Head of Corporate Culture and Social Relations Sofia Semenova She noted that the company has been supporting CASE-IN for the second season.: "We see a growing interest in the topic of project engineering and are pleased with the results of future engineers' decisions. Non-standard proposals and the degree of elaboration of ideas indicate that we are moving in the right direction in terms of practical training of students. I am sure that participating in the Championship Finals will be a useful experience and a significant line in the resume of the participants."

The youth team of Irkutsk National Research Technical University was recognized as the champion in the field of Oil and Gas business.  Students from St. Petersburg Mining University and Almetyevsk State Petroleum Institute are also in the top three.

PJSC Yakutsk Fuel and Energy Company, as a strategic partner of the direction, offered a case study on "Ammonia production and carbon dioxide utilization." Deputy General Director for Geology, Geophysics and Field Development of PJSC YATEK Anton Nedosekin He acted as chairman of the expert commission of the championship.

"Last November, the winners of the previous championship, students from St. Petersburg Mining University, completed an internship at the Srednevilyuysky GKM. They have acquired unique skills in the company's production that cannot be acquired at university. This year we have also invited the winners to join us and we will be happy to share our invaluable practical knowledge. We pay attention to the involvement of young professionals in the development of the company. And we are very glad that every year the championship helps to discover more and more talents among young people. This gives us confidence that the future of the Russian engineering industry is in safe hands!" – underlined Anton Nedosekin.

The second day of the finals turned out to be no less eventful: the best teams were determined among future power engineers, mining engineers, geologists, and workers in the petrochemical industry. The guests of the second day were the State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Anastasia Bondarenko, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kotyukov, Deputy Director General of ANO "Russia – the land of opportunities" Anton Serikov and President of the Vernadsky State Geological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Academy of Mining Sciences Yuri Malyshev.

According to Anton Serikov, the CASE-IN championship is an original and unique project with a 10–year history, and its main decoration and pride are talented, motivated participants who give an impetus to the development of the competition with their energy.:

"Of course, one of the most significant moments in the life of the CASE-IN championship was its inclusion in 2019 in the ANO Russia – the Land of Opportunities, which opened up new opportunities for young people. Now they can win cash prizes, complete internships, enroll in a master's degree without exams and work with a personal mentor from among the "Leaders of Russia", implement their own project or complete an educational program. And today's finalists can already travel anywhere in our country under the "More than a Trip" program. I am sure that each of you will have a great future in your chosen profession. I wish you to fully realize your potential by participating in the projects of the presidential platform."

President of the Interregional Public Organization "Academy of Mining Sciences", Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Malyshev He emphasized that Today's finalists will soon be working for the country's leading companies.:

"You have important strategic tasks to solve, so right now, develop your competencies, gain new knowledge and learn from the experience of experts in order to become a worthy generation of specialists in the future and represent Russia at the highest level."

The "Mining" and "Geological Exploration" areas are the very first in the championship, and the tasks for the participants are being developed by ALROSA.

Head of the Company's Personnel Selection and Development Center Natalia Petukhova Highly appreciates the results of the partnership:

«It is not the first year that we have been a strategic partner of the championship. During this time, our company has managed to increase its credibility and recognition among the youth of the industry. Working on solutions to cases created based on the company's materials, students immerse themselves in the real production of ALROSA and in the most important strategic issues for us. In the jubilee year, we opened a new direction "Mining machinery and equipment", which allowed even more students from all over the country to prove themselves. We pay special attention to working with young people, and in this regard, we consider cooperation with the championship to be very promising."

In the field of Mining, the Cup of champions was awarded to students of the Trans-Baikal State University. The second and third places were taken by the youth teams of Northeastern State University and St. Petersburg Mining University.

Sergey Nikishichev, Permanent Chairman of the expert commission of the CASE-IN Mining Championship, Director of IMC Montan, noted that the project has achieved great growth over the past 10 years: "Today, technological patterns and engineering generations are changing. Digital technologies that need to be created and implemented in production are coming to the fore. I am sure that this mission will fall on the shoulders of the CASE-IN participants.

The new direction "Mining machinery and equipment", launched on the initiative of ALROSA, has opened up great opportunities for the development of professional skills for the student youth. The students of the Kuzbass State Technical University branch in Prokopyevsk became the winner of the debut competition. Next came the youth teams of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia and Perm National Research Polytechnic University.

Anastasia Sokhoreva, the captain of the champions, noted:  "We proposed to introduce new technologies to control such an important indicator of equipment elements as operating temperature. Various sensors and thermal imagers, as well as a self-learning neural network, will allow monitoring the temperature of equipment elements in real time, which reduces the risks of creating a critical situation, which may be followed by many hours of downtime."

A heated competitive struggle unfolded in the direction of "Geological exploration". According to its results, the students of the Far Eastern Federal University were recognized as the best. Moscow State University is in second place. The team of Tomsk State University rounded out the top three.

«From the point of view of personal growth and the development of professional competencies, reaching the finals is a grand event. This is an opportunity to get to know future employers, get valuable advice from experts and share experiences with other participants of the championship.  The CASE-IN championship makes a significant contribution to the development of various industries, and together with you we will be able to take the mining industry to a new level.", – the head of the department for work with educational institutions and methodological support of the Mycromine Rus company is sure Grigory Fedotov.

The competition in the field of "Electric Power Industry" was held for two days, students solved the cases of JSC SO UES and PJSC FGC UES. On the first day, the students identified the participants of the superfinal – they were students of Tomsk Polytechnic University, Novosibirsk State Technical University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, NRU "MEI", St. Petersburg Mining University. On May 26, the winners and prize-winners of the direction were announced.

The gold medal was awarded to students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. In second place are their fellow countrymen from St. Petersburg Mining University. Representatives of Novosibirsk State Technical University rounded out the top three.

«Ten years of successful work is an indicator that the event has become an effective tool for popularizing engineering and technical education and attracting the most promising young specialists to the fuel and energy sector., - The HR Director of JSC SO UES noted at the award ceremony Bayrta Perveyeva, - The system operator was at the origin of the creation of the Electric Power Industry direction of the CASE-IN Student League and has been its strategic partner for the eighth year in a row. Our specialists take an active part in the development of cases in the Electric Power Industry area, are members of the expert commission for the qualifying stages and the final of the championship, and assess the level of training of future power engineers. It is very important for us that young people who plan to connect their lives with the electric power industry receive a unique experience in solving practical problems based on real production situations within the framework of the championship. And we hope that some of the active participants of the "CASE-IN" will work in our company after completing their studies."

The students of NUST MISIS became the winners in the field of Petrochemistry, having solved the case according to SIBUR's instructions, the representatives of Kazan National Research Technological University won the silver medal, and the team of Volgograd State Technical University took the bronze medal.

Head of the SIBUR Internet of Things Group Vasily Yezhov counts: "There are definitely no losers in this final, all the participants have acquired important skills for further development. We noted the high level of case study, and the ideas of the contestants can be implemented at the largest enterprises in the country in the future. Students can start implementing their solutions now within the framework of the youth programs "First Element" - a program for graduate employment and "Trajectory" - a program for targeted student education. You can find out about all open vacancies and projects implemented by SIBUR on the company's website."

On the final third day of the finals, future industrial safety specialists, IT specialists, as well as participants of the Special League of PJSC T Plus and the League of Young Specialists shared their innovative developments.

The awards of the third day were presented by Denis Ashirov, Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, First Deputy head of the Rosmolodezh Track.Career Artem Ipatiev and Alexey Agafonov, First Deputy General Director of ANO "Russia - the Land of Opportunities".

Artyom Ipatiev Presenting the awards to the champions, he noted that the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) has been supporting the CASE-IN championship for several years: "The issue of educating future specialists and young engineers is becoming particularly relevant today, and you, the participants of the final, have a great responsibility for the future of the country. Strive only forward, initiate the development of new projects, and achieve educational and career achievements. In an era of change, the CASE-IN championship is a good opportunity for development. Use it without fail, and we are from the direction of Rosmolodezh.Career, we are ready to support you. Good luck!".

"The Championship has become an integral part of the important work carried out by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation to promote scientific and technical education and engineering specialties. This project not only helps students to master professional competencies and gain new knowledge, but also contributes to the development of engineering training areas in the country's leading specialized universities. Separately, I would like to note the relevance of the main theme of the anniversary season "Industry 4.0" for leading industrial companies. Digital technologies, which are being implemented progressively in production, including thanks to the developments of the CASE-IN participants, will certainly give an impetus to the development of the country's industry.", - underlined Denis Ashirov.

"Thanks to CASE-IN, talented young people from all over the country have been gathering at the same venue for 10 years now, demonstrating their original solutions. This is a great opportunity for the contestants to gain valuable knowledge and teamwork skills, as well as share experiences and ideas with their peers. I hope that the finalists will continue to interact with each other, implement new projects and help each other develop. Well, the presidential platform will provide them with all possible support in all ambitious endeavors.", " He said Alexey Agafonov, presenting awards to the winners of the anniversary season.

Two new directions of the jubilee season – "Industrial Safety" and "Automation and IT" – were launched by the new partner of the championship, Gazstroyprom JSC.

Students of Bauman Moscow State Technical University won gold and bronze medals in the field of Industrial Safety. The representatives of Saratov State Technical University took the 2nd place.

In the field of Automation and IT, the victory was celebrated by guests from the Belarusian-Russian University. Next came the teams of the M. I. Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University and the R. E. Alekseev Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University, which won silver and bronze medals.

Awarding the winners of new directions, the Head of the Department of Personnel Selection and Adaptation of Gazstroyprom JSC Natalia Struzhinskaya commented on:

"We are delighted with the performances of the student teams and the quality of the solutions they presented. The unconventional outlook and the desire to prove themselves, which the contestants demonstrate, are especially appreciated by leading employers today. We will be glad to see the finalists as interns or even full-time specialists of Gazstroyprom JSC.

The winners were also determined by the most experienced participants of the finals – current employees of industry companies.

Representatives of Sibur-Kstovo LLC were recognized as winners in the League of Young Professionals. The youth team of JSC SO UES completed the competition in the status of vice-champions, and the employees of ZapSibNeftekhim LLC completed the top three.

The special league of PJSC "T Plus" ended with the triumph of the youth team of the Perm branch of the company. The Mordovian branch took the second place, the employees of the Sverdlovsk branch received bronze medals.

"The championship provides an opportunity for large industry companies to see ambitious young people in action, who will determine the industry agenda in the future. For 4 years now, CASE-IN has been energizing the young specialists of PJSC T Plus, helping them show all their best qualities. The finalists' decisions demonstrate that the country's industry has great prospects, and the introduction of Industry 4.0 will help it develop at an active pace.", — I summed up the results of the Special League Head of the Department for Commerce and Development of Thermal Units of PJSC "T Plus" Anna Fedoseeva.

The award to the winners and prize-winners in the student competition will be internships and employment opportunities in the partner companies of the championship, admission to postgraduate and master's degree programs at partner universities on preferential terms. Champions among young professionals will join the managerial personnel reserve of their companies and gain new career opportunities. The winners will also participate in industry youth educational forums.

"The main season of the jubilee CASE-IN championship will end on June 10 with the final of the School League, " He told me Artem Korolev, – and then we will immediately start preparing for the Autumn Cup, registration for which starts in September."

The organizers of the CASE-IN championship are the Reliable Change Foundation, the Non-profit Partnership Youth Forum of Mining Leaders and AstraLogica LLC. The co–organizer of the Season X finale is the National Research Technological University MISIS.

The CASE-IN project is being implemented within the framework of the federal project "Social Elevators for Everyone" of the national project "Education".