Future biotechnologists of Almetyevsk State Technological University won the CASE-IN again

For the second year in a row, students of Almetyevsk State Technological University Higher School of Petroleum have become winners of the biotechnological field of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship, which is held with the support of the Presidential Platform "Russia – the Land of Opportunities".

The final of the XIV season was held in Moscow at the University of Science and Technology MISIS. The winners of the track will have the opportunity to complete a paid internship at Tatneft.

This year, the theme of the championship was designated as "Technologies of the future". From May 20 to 22, more than 750 students, young professionals and representatives of industrial sectors from Russia and 14 foreign countries participated in the final.

The biotechnological track appeared in the CASE-IN in 2025 on the initiative of Tatneft. For the company, this is not an image project, but one of the ways to find young specialists in advance for new technological directions. The tasks for the participants are prepared by the company's experts, so the cases are close to real production tasks.

This time, the teams were offered to develop a technology for deep processing of plant biomass. The participants had to not just describe the idea, but calculate the full cycle: raw materials, processing method, production of products based on non-food sugars and lignin, site location and the economics of the project. They were given 10 days to prepare the decision.

Eight teams competed in the biotech finals. Among the participants were representatives of KNRTU, the Higher School of Petroleum, the Far Eastern Federal University, Ufa State Petroleum Technical University, Tomsk State University, the Timiryazev Russian State Agricultural Academy and Belgorod State University.

The victory was won by the team of the Higher School of Petroleum consisting of Ulyana Ushmayeva, Liana Idrisova, Azalia Hamidullina and Anastasia Klimova. The second place was taken by the students of the Russian State Agricultural Academy, the third by the team of "Bacteriologini" from Ufa Petroleum University.

The Almetyevsk team proposed using straw from common grain crops as a raw material. This option is interesting because it is a massive agricultural waste available in different regions. The solution is based on the use of amines to dissolve lignin and the enzymatic processing of plant polysaccharides.

In addition to internships at Tatneft, the winners and prize-winners of the CASE-IN will receive preferential conditions for admission to master's and postgraduate studies at 36 partner universities of the championship. For Tatneft, the biotech track is becoming another channel for forming a talent pool for projects at the intersection of industry, chemistry and biotechnology.

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