BRICS Project Lab Arctic 2.0: Business Cases for Participants

The students will tackle four research tasks grounded in real-world data as part of BRICS Project Lab Arctic 2.0, an international youth project scheduled in Moscow from 24 to 27 February 2025. The tasks, organized across different thematic tracks, were proposed by the competition’s corporate partners, including Gazprom Neft, Nornickel, Arktikugol, and PORA.

The PORA track will focus on how Arctic municipalities with limited budgets can secure additional funding. The team will study best practices from Europe, North America, and Asia, evaluating which financial instruments are applied and prove effective at the municipal level.

Arktikugol proposes to evaluate the feasibility of BRICS countries acceding to the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty (Paris Treaty) for the purposes of conducting commercial, scientific, and educational activities in the region. To this end, the team will analyze the Treaty, Norwegian laws and regulations, as well as established legal and enforcement practices.

Gazprom Neft will challenge participants to develop a concept and design a mechanism for operating an oil company in the Arctic, taking into account the high capital intensity and implementation risks typical of such projects. Students will be asked to pay particular attention to the role of the Arctic in Russia’s long-term energy strategy, as well as to the institutional and economic context in which Arctic oil and gas projects are implemented.

Nornickel has tasked participants with assessing the prospects for developing Arctic tourism in Russia. The team assigned to this track will analyze the current state of Arctic tourism, examine existing government support measures in the Russian Arctic, evaluate ongoing tourism programs, and assess the potential for international cooperation in this sector.

BRICS Project Lab Arctic 2.0 will be held in Moscow from 24 to 27 February 2025.