10:00 15.09.2026
Journeys to the ‘Polyus’: How Arkhangelsk nurtures young researchers
© Polyus Young Researchers Center VKontakte page
The Polyus Young Researchers Center has been operating in Arkhangelsk since 2024. It assists young people who wish to build their futures in science – specifically, in Arctic research.
As Center Director Oleg Minchuk explained, Polyus does more than just match students with interesting projects from clients; it helps them gain experience in teamwork and collaboration with business partners, while also enabling them to develop and implement their boldest ideas by finding practical applications for them.
Read more about how the organization operates and the projects Polyus participants have already worked on in this article from the Development of the Arctic and the Far East portal.
The Polyus Young Researchers Center is a joint project of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region, established in 2024. It is part of Russia’s network of youth educational centers designed to foster research skills among talented young people.
Participants of the 2024 Polyus forum
© ANO National Priorities
As Oleg Minchuk noted, the center’s core mission is to spark an interest in science among young people. It helps them learn to work in teams and take their first step toward a career as a scientist.
“We also facilitate interaction between young researchers and academic institutions, as well as government bodies interested in specific Arctic research projects,” the director added.
Admission is based on a competitive selection process. The programs are open to everyone from schoolchildren and university students just starting their scientific journeys to PhD students and established scientists. Applicants must describe their scientific experience and explain why they wish to work on Arctic projects. The director noted that extensive experience is an important criterion for joining research teams, but certainly not the only one.
“We also consider the level of motivation, as it undoubtedly plays a major role. We look at how motivated a person is and their willingness to dedicate their free time to learning something new and working as part of a team,” emphasized Oleg Minchuk.
Applications are arriving from regions across the country. In addition to the Arkhangelsk Region and other Arctic territories, Moscow and St. Petersburg are among the leaders in terms of application numbers. The organization also collaborates with leading Russian universities and Far Eastern Federal University is among them.
From idea to full-scale project
Work with clients proceeds in several stages. First, the center receives an Arctic-related task and selects participants with suitable portfolios. At this early stage, researchers – with the center’s assistance – can discuss all the details and nuances of the assignment with the client.
Next comes the in-person phase: the research team presents its project, and the clients suggest any necessary revisions before providing a final assessment.
Participants of the 2024 Polyus forum
© Yekaterina Golubeva’s personal archive
The final stage involves post-project support for the participants. The research center remains a liaison until the client makes a final decision regarding future collaboration with the research team.
“This is one of the most challenging stages, as the partner’s final decision on the project depends largely on the researchers themselves rather than the center. This makes sense, of course, as we want future projects to evolve independently of our involvement,” explained Oleg Minchuk.
The organization handles a wide variety of Arctic-related tasks, with some topics being addressed particularly frequently. One of the most in-demand sectors is energy – specifically, energy conservation in remote areas.
“The topics of resource extraction and interaction with local communities – such as the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North – are also of interest. I must also mention the popularization of science; there are quite a few tasks in that area as well,” the director added.
Among the particularly interesting projects, Oleg Minchuk cited a recent initiative to create personal care products based on seaweed from the Arkhangelsk Region. Once the project is further developed, a new line of domestic products featuring natural ingredients from the North could hit the market.
Promoting science and caring for nature
Lyubov Markeyeva is a participant in the 2025 Polyus forum. In the Popularization track, she explored ways to communicate science so that complex topics become more understandable and engaging for a general audience. Lyubov dedicated her project to popularizing Arctic research and organizing expeditions.
“I am interested in how tourism and awareness-raising can foster a respectful attitude toward the nature of the North. I am currently developing the EcoVyshka project – educational and volunteer field trips for students to special protected natural areas – and I want to establish it as a systematic program,” she said.
Another forum participant is Yekaterina Golubeva. In 2024, she visited the Arctic for the first time as part of the research team from the Arctic Floating University.
“That year, after the expedition, a whole new world opened up to me; I realized I wanted to pursue work related to the Arctic, even though the region hadn’t interested me during my undergraduate studies. At the forum, I met people who see the Arctic from absolutely different angles, and that was incredibly valuable,” she recalled.
Yekaterina is currently studying seabirds. She believes these birds can serve as natural indicators of plastic pollution in the Russian Arctic.
“Seabirds incorporate materials they find nearby into their nests – specifically plastic, which is what I look for. If we spot a scrap of green fishing net in a kittiwake’s nest, it’s not a coincidence but a signal – though exactly what that signal means is something we have yet to determine,” Yekaterina explained.
Anniversary expedition of the Arctic Floating University
© Polyus Young Researchers Center Telegram channel
For some, the Polyus Center is merely a starting point for a scientific career; for others, it is an opportunity to apply their knowledge to a new endeavor. But above all, the center offers young people the chance to prove themselves and demonstrate that any idea can be transformed into a tangible project for the development of the Arctic.
