"Factory of engineering thought": CASE-IN experts are developing concepts for the development of the Krasnoyarsk Territory

More than 1,700 students of Russia's leading specialized universities and representatives of the expert community have joined the Engineering Thought Factory, a project to address current industry and regional challenges in the fuel and energy and mineral resource complexes. It was organized by the Reliable Change Charitable Foundation, the Non-profit Partnership Youth Forum of Mining Leaders and AstraLogica LLC, relevant ministries of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the presidential platform "Russia is a Land of Opportunity." 

The Engineering Thought Factory aims to develop practice-oriented solutions for real technological challenges in Russian regions by teams. The competition included two tracks: student and main. 

As a result of the project, promising projects will be created for the accelerated development of the Krasnoyarsk Territory as a key technological region of Russia, the Governor of the region is confident. Mikhail Kotyukov: "The Krasnoyarsk energy complex ranks second in Russia in terms of electricity production. The tasks of modernizing critical infrastructure, digital transformation, transition to new energy sources, and developing the competencies of engineering personnel are facing us in practice, not in theory. The fact that our territory, which is strategically important for the country, has been chosen as a pilot project for the Engineering Thought Factory, will speed up the resolution of these issues and lay the foundation for the training of engineers of a new formation."

Within the framework of student track, which has become an integral part of At the Autumn Cup of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship, students of specialized universities no older than 25 years old in teams of 3 to 4 people were instructed by the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to provide key energy facilities in the region with high-quality personnel in the context of digital transformation and the transition to renewable energy sources.

The winners of the correspondence qualifying stage presented their finalized ideas in the remote semi-finals. The top 14 teams competed in the final of the Autumn Cup on December 19, 2025 in Moscow. The young people not only shared their decisions with the heads of industry companies and relevant ministries, but also received advice on developing professional skills and took an important step towards a successful career.

"The Championship is steadily developing and has now focused on issues of the regional educational and energy agenda," said the Director of the Administrative Department of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation Irina Arefyeva. – The Engineering Thought Factory has brought together those who are ready to work on fresh ideas for digital transformation and energy development in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. We welcome this initiative and hope that the decisions of the participants in the competition will make a significant contribution to the development of the region's energy training system."

The championship Cup was won by the Pre–Tense team (the national research team of Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and Yaroslavl State Technical University), silver went to the Kuzbass Express team (Kuzbass State Technical University named after T.F.Gorbachev), the third place was taken by the PRIBORCHIKI team (UMMC Technical University).

In 2026, the participants came to the fore the main track – these are 16 experts and mentors, members of the Winners Club and the CASE-IN Hall of Fame, as well as winners and prize-winners of previous years. Having divided into two teams and defined their role in it, they began to study the best solutions and hypotheses of the participants of the student track. The teams' efforts will result in analytical and engineering concepts aimed at developing the regional economy and human resources potential of the region. The final draft will be presented to the leadership of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in February 2026.

"The task of the case is related to the specifics of the region and the prospects of the region as a flagship of digital solutions and the transition to renewable energy sources. It is gratifying that the leadership of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is thinking about how and taking into account the personnel support and the qualification growth of engineers of the new formation provided by the leadership of the region, large-scale projects will be implemented. He not only thinks, but also invites to a dialogue, involving the expertise of the best specialists from relevant ministries and departments of the leading constituent entity of the federation. They trust both established professionals and novice specialists here and expect bold ideas from them," said Head of the Department of International Business at St. Petersburg State University of Economics, expert and scientific director of the CASE–IN League of Young Professionals, member of the CASE-IN Hall of Fame since 2019. Natalia Trifonova. "New scenarios, approaches, and non–trivial solutions for creating a strategic collaboration between the academic sector and industry should become an important component of the final project."

The winners and prize-winners of the competition will receive certificates and industry awards, CASE-IN expert status, mentoring support from leading industry experts and experts, as well as prospects for putting their ideas into practice and joining expert groups of regional and federal initiatives.

Detailed information about the Engineering Thought Factory is provided by the link.