Young specialists of ROSSETI Yantar JSC and the System Operator are finalists of the CASE–IN championship

Young specialists of ROSSETI Yantar JSC and the Branch of the Unified Energy System System Operator JSC of the Ural State University made it to the finals of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship. At the crucial competition of the season, they intend to surprise experts with solutions to introduce future technologies into Russia's leading industries and gain opportunities to develop career paths.  

The League of Young Specialists, which is a competition for solving real production problems among employees of the fuel and energy complex, MSC, nuclear industry and related industries, is being held in 2026 for the first time in three directions. The next qualifying stage in the field of Digital Solutions and the introduction of new technologies brought together 13 teams, which included specialists from Chernomorneftegaz LLC, Branches of Volgogradskoye RDU and Ural Unified Energy System System Operator JSC, Rosseti Yantar JSC, SiburTyumenGaz JSC, Zapsibtransgaz LLC, JSCSibur – Khimprom, LLC GRK Bystrinskoye, LLC Amur Gas Chemical Complex, JSC Gazpromneft-ONPZ, PJSC Rosseti Lenenergo and LLC Zarubezhneft-dobycha Kharyaga.

In a short period of time, the contestants managed to create adaptive, secure and cost-effective systems of measures to implement a digital business model that is sustainable in the long term. 

An expert commission consisting of representatives of educational organizations, scientific institutions and industry companies, having reviewed the decisions of the teams, identified two finalists of the championship. 

The winner of the qualifying stage and the winner of the first ticket to the final was the team "ILEKTR". Employees of ROSSETI Yantar JSC Igor Samsonov (captain), Daria Goncharenko, Evgeny Provotorov and Vyacheslav Evdokimov presented a solution aimed at introducing end-to-end digital technologies and artificial intelligence for the inspection of overhead power lines using UAVs. 

"The introduction of this technology will significantly reduce the complexity and cost of examining thousands of kilometers of lines and identify defects in a timely manner, with higher accuracy, potentially leading to accidents and premature wear of networks," the team captain said about the development. Igor Samsonov. – Software with artificial intelligence technology will allow high-quality analysis of data collected using UAVs and become support for engineers in prioritizing repair work, modernization and reconstruction of networks, taking into account their current state. This will lead to a significant reduction in accidents and an increase in the reliability of the electric grid complex, which is especially important in the conditions of isolated operation of the Kaliningrad region, the region of our company's presence."  

The team has been participating in various case championships for 3 years now. The young specialists were helped to reach the finals by their experience in solving real production tasks, well-coordinated teamwork and focus on the overall result. The CASE-IN gave participants confidence in themselves, their competencies and knowledge, and also taught them how to be effective in the most stressful conditions. The championship also became a platform for the exchange of experience and best practices, interaction with talented and active colleagues from various industries.

"The skills acquired at the championship allow us to find the most unobvious solutions every day, even in the most difficult situations. Solving case studies broadens the horizons of knowledge in your professional field and various business processes, which allows you to take a broader look at both the problems themselves and the opportunities for improvement," Igor Samsonov shared his expectations. – First of all, we expect a fair fight and a fair result from the final. I'm sure all the finalists deserve to win, but the strongest one will win." 

The second place, which gives the right to speak in the final, was taken by the team of the Branch of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" of the Ural State University under the name "If not us, then the cat": Sergey Alaverdyan (captain), Evgeny Gorshkov, Natalia Obukhova and Maria Rakova.

The finalists of last year's League of Young Professionals consider CASE-IN as an opportunity to optimize their daily work processes and develop their creative potential. 

"As part of the competition, we proposed digitizing the processes of long–term development and automating them as much as possible using artificial intelligence, which will reduce costs and shorten the process in time by more than 5 times," said the team captain Sergey Alaverdyan. – We managed to bring together a team of professionals and talented people, which played a crucial role in achieving success. The championship takes you out of your comfort zone, where you test your skills in an unfamiliar environment, thereby improving them. Now we will focus even more on our decision so that we can demonstrate our maximum in the final."

The final of the CASE-IN championship will be held on May 20-22, 2026 in Moscow. Young specialists from leading companies will present their finalized projects to the industry community, receive feedback from experts, and participate in educational and interactive events. 

The champions and prize-winners of the League of Young Professionals are waiting for the prospects for inclusion in the managerial personnel reserve of companies and trips to industry youth educational forums.

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 project is being implemented as part of the Science to Win initiative and the Plan for the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia (2022-2031).