10:00 16.07.2026
Rector Olga Sotnikova: The Arctic is the territory of the future, we must train specialists for it
© Press service of Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University is one of the key research and educational centers of the Russian North. Personnel training for the Komi Republic and its Arctic territories, the development of scientific research, and support for technological entrepreneurship are among the university’s priorities.
Olga Sotnikova, Rector of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University, told the Arctic.ru portal about the role the university plays in the development of the Russian Arctic zone, about the research conducted there and the practical results achieved.
Question: Ms. Sotnikova, the Arctic development is among the state priorities today. What role does Syktyvkar University play in that?
Olga Sotnikova: The Arctic today is not just a geographical area. A significant part of the Komi Republic – about a third of the entire area of our region – is part of the Arctic zone, and the university's activities are largely focused on solving the tasks outlined in the state policy for the development of the Arctic. We view ourselves not only as an educational institution but also as a center for the formation of competencies, scientific knowledge and management solutions for the northern territories.
A number of research studies at the university are focused on priority areas of development of the Arctic and the North: socioeconomic development of territories, rational use of natural resources, environmental safety, biomedical technologies, and preservation of cultural and historical heritage of the European North. In addition, we are conducting research of new materials, nature-like technologies, radiophysics, electronics and modern physics technologies. Today, the University is one of the intellectual centers of the Komi Republic, providing scientific support for the development of the region and participating in designing strategic initiatives at the federal and regional levels.
Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University trains specialists in a number of areas essential for the development of the northern territories. These are medicine, pedagogics, public and municipal administration, and innovation.
Our lecturers and scientists participate in the projects related to the socioeconomic development of the Arctic and Subarctic zones of Russia, conduct research to improve the quality of life of the people, and help shape effective management solutions.
The University strives to be a coordinator and incorporator of the educational cluster of the Komi Republic, bringing together educational institutions, employers, authorities and the academic community around common regional development goals.
Students of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
© Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
Question: All sectors of the economy involved in the exploration and development of the Northern Sea Route are experiencing a shortage of highly qualified personnel. What is the role of Syktyvkar University in solving this issue?
Olga Sotnikova: Our work is in sync with government support measures. This includes the approval of the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation until 2035, the creation of the Muravyov-Amursky 2030 program, the launch of the world-class Russian Arctic scientific and educational center, the introduction of a targeted training mechanism with increased customer responsibility, and the allocation of additional tuition-free places at universities in Arctic areas studies. For example, Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University was allocated 15 places in 2025 in the Innovation program due to the distribution of enrollment numbers in view of regional needs.
The University, with the status of a federal innovation platform, is engaged in a project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to train managerial personnel for the North and the Arctic. The presidential management training program, which the university has been pursuing since 1997, plays a special role. During this period, hundreds of managers and specialists have received modern management competencies for the implementation of large-scale projects in the economy, the social sphere, education and healthcare. Today, this program has actually become a platform for training regional development leaders.
We also plan to step up work on the introduction of targeted training at the request of enterprises – residents of the Arctic, to update the methodological and technical support of distance and online educational technologies in order to make education accessible to a greater number of students. One of the tools to be employed is enhanced networking with scientific and educational organizations in the Arctic regions within the framework of the North European Open Scientific and Education Consortium.
Admissions committee of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
© Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
Question: Your university is a member of the Russian Arctic research and education center. What are the outcomes of this work?
Olga Sotnikova: Involvement in the center’s activities enabled our university not only to expand scientific research but also to obtain very specific practical results for the development of the northern territories. From 2020 to 2025, scientists of Syktyvkar University have completed 8 research projects totaling more than 5 million rubles. Their topics covered a wide range of areas pertaining to the Arctic zone: environmental safety, biomedical technologies, rehabilitation medicine, the study of natural resources and the creation of new materials.
A significant part of research was devoted to the preservation of human health and active longevity in northern conditions. The University scientists have created a database of plants that are potential sources of geroprotective substances, studied the antioxidant and adaptogenic properties of northern berries extracts and assessed their effect on the body's resistance to adverse environmental factors.
The environmental issues of the Arctic have been given special attention. Our specialists have developed a set of techniques for assessing the state of oil-contaminated soils, studied the processes of pollutant migration in northern ecosystems, and also created and tested technologies for cleaning natural objects from oil pollution using bioremediation methods. Such projects are crucial for ensuring the environmental safety of the Arctic territories.
In addition, the university conducted research on natural biopolymers of plant origin. Their results open up prospects for creating new environmentally friendly materials and preparations that are in demand in agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
What is particularly essential to us is that the majority of the projects are focused not only on obtaining new scientific knowledge but also on solving specific problems of Arctic development. This approach enables the university to make a real contribution to improving the quality of life of the population of the northern regions and the sustainable development of the Arctic territories.
Question: What is the share of the Arctic studies in overall research conducted by the university?
Olga Sotnikova: This is one of our key areas. For example, the Innovatika consulting and analytical center has been set up at the university where large-scale studies of the factors of SMEs development in the Arctic zone have recently been made. The research covered both the Arctic territories of the Komi Republic and Russia’s other northern regions. The conditions for the creation of high-tech industries were studied, and the main barriers and business development opportunities in extreme climatic conditions were identified.
Studying process of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
© Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
The results obtained were presented at the international forum Arctic: Today and the Future, held with the participation of the Federation Council. We have passed on the practical recommendations by the university’s researchers to the relevant federal ministries and departments. These recommendations are being turned into specific proposals for improving the state policy in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.
In 2021, the university joined the Arctic Medicine scientific and educational consortium, which unites the country’s leading medical educational and scientific organizations. As part of this work, our scientists are involved in research of preservation of the Arctic population’s health, the training of a new generation of medical personnel, and the development of modern medical technologies for the northern territories.
Our geologists, environmentalists and biologists – students of the Institute of Natural Sciences – do a lot of field work. They explore the natural resources of the Polar Urals, the prospects for increasing the mineral resource base of the Komi Republic, the condition of Arctic ecosystems and reindeer pastures. Students and teachers go on expeditions to the Arctic territories, monitor the environment, and study the impact of industrial activity on the ecosystems of the North. The results of these studies are used to solve practical problems of sustainable environmental management and environmental safety in the Arctic zone.
Students of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
© Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
Question: Which of the university’s initiatives have already been endorsed at the federal level?
Olga Sotnikova: The fact that Syktyvkar University scientists’ proposals have been incorporated in the draft public resolution on the development of the Arctic, prepared by the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia, was significant for us. The working group has developed a set of initiatives aimed at supporting SMEs, developing public-private partnership mechanisms, venture financing, improving the efficiency of public administration and ensuring the economic security of the Arctic territories.
Our proposals have been sent for consideration to the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly, the State Commission for Arctic Development and relevant federal agencies. This is a confirmation of the high level of scientific expertise of the university.
Question: How deeply are students engaged in the Arctic projects?
Olga Sotnikova: Our students participate in scientific research, expeditions, the development of start-ups and analytical projects on the development of the Arctic. For example, undergraduates of the Program and Project Management project (the full name might be different)have developed a startup project to introduce innovative technologies to increase energy efficiency and labor productivity in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The project provides for the creation of Russia’s first full-cycle integrated ecosystem for operation in extreme Arctic conditions and has already aroused interest among potential investors.
In addition, the Arctic entrepreneurship working group currently employs 17 students who are involved in research and shaping new initiatives for the development of the northern territories. We strive to ensure that students do not just study the Arctic by textbooks, but become direct participants in its development processes.
Studying process of the Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
© Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University
Question: What tasks does the university face in the coming years?
Olga Sotnikova: The main task is to continue solidifying the university’s position as a center of research and education in the Russian Arctic. We plan to develop targeted personnel training at the request of enterprises operating in the Arctic territories, expand networking with the country’s leading scientific and educational organizations, and improve continuing education and professional retraining programs.
We are aware that the future of the Arctic directly depends on people – researchers, doctors, environmentalists, managers, and entrepreneurs. That is why our mission is to train specialists capable of working effectively in the conditions of the North and creating new opportunities for the development of the country.
The Arctic is becoming one of the key areas of Russia’s advancement today. This is a territory of great opportunities, scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. Successful exploration and development of the Arctic requires not only infrastructure projects and investments, but also, above all, people who are competent, proactive, and ready to take responsibility for the future of the northern territories. The Arctic is the territory of the future, and the university is obliged to train specialists and provide technologies and solutions for it.
