Gubkin University Expands Collaboration with Companies to Develop Digital Solutions for Oil Refining

On June 4, 2026, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU) and Gazprom Neft signed a strategic partnership agreement.

The agreement provides for the joint development of digital solutions for production management in oil refining, as well as the training of specialists who will work with these technologies. Specifically, Gubkin University and Gazprom Neft will begin developing a library of digital models to improve production efficiency, focusing on artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies.

As part of the joint project to train specialized specialists, training platforms for working with modern industrial systems will be developed, enabling students to create and test digital models of technological processes.

Specialized IT courses for oil refining specialists will also be integrated into Gubkin University's educational programs. Additionally, students will be able to complete internships and develop their graduation projects at the engineering centers of PJSC Gazprom Neft's IT cluster.

"Gubkin University was one of the first to introduce digital twin technologies into educational processes. Our research teams are conducting research in the field of digital models that can improve the efficiency of oil production and refining. This is one of the most promising areas. Collaboration with companies is critical here, so the partnership agreement with PJSC Gazprom Neft is an important step," emphasized Gubkin University Rector Viktor Martynov.

"Together with Gubkin University, we are developing applied Russian science and laying the foundation for the further digital transformation of oil refining. This partnership will accelerate the implementation of IT solutions to continuously improve production efficiency and safety. A key element of this collaboration is the development of a new generation of oil refining specialists capable of creating and implementing digital solutions in technological processes. "Such personnel will determine the industry's technological leadership in the coming decades, and we are purposefully preparing them together with the university," noted Anatoly Cherner, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprom Neft.

Currently, Gubkin University collaborates with nearly 300 leading companies in Russia's oil and gas industry. These include Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Transneft, Caspian Pipeline Consortium-R, NOVATEK, and others. The main areas of collaboration include training personnel tailored to the companies' needs, conducting scientific research, and engineering projects.