INRTU Participates in Russia-China Arctic Research Forum
On 11 July 2026, a delegation from INRTU led by Rector Mikhail Korniakov attended the 3rd Arctic Research Forum of the Association of Technical Universities of Russia and China (ATURC) at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). The event focused on strengthening academic and research cooperation between the two countries.
Participants highlighted China's role as one of Russia's key Arctic partners and discussed joint education, research and technology projects aimed at supporting sustainable development in the Arctic and northern regions.
During the plenary session, Mikhail Korniakov presented a report titled “Strategic Partnership Between INRTU and China: From Educational Cooperation to Joint Research” and outlined the university's key Arctic research projects.
Among them was an international study involving researchers from Northumbria University, the University of Oxford, the Geological Survey of Israel, the Institute of the Earth's Crust Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and INRTU. Published in Nature Communications, the study found evidence that permanent permafrost did not extend across Asia to the Arctic Ocean when global temperatures were around 4.5°C higher than today.
Mikhail Korniakov also highlighted geophysical surveys conducted in Chukotka, northern Kamchatka and the Magadan Region. Researchers have developed a UAV-based method for locating gold-sulfide mineralization, reducing fieldwork time by fifteen times while minimizing environmental impact.
INRTU is carrying out environmental geochemistry research in Taimyr, Yakutia and the Magadan Region to establish natural geochemical background levels for Arctic territories. The findings help distinguish natural concentrations of elements such as nickel and arsenic from human-caused pollution and can prevent unjustified environmental penalties for mining companies.
The university is also developing a method that uses mosses as indicators of ore deposits. Adapted for Arctic conditions, the technology has already received positive reviews at the international Arctic Ecology and Environment Summer School in Harbin.
INRTU continues to expand cooperation with Chinese partners. Together with HIT, the university offers the English-language master's program Ecology and Green Technologies and organizes environmental schools at Lake Baikal and internships in Harbin. Cooperation with China University of Geosciences (CUG) led to the creation of the Baikal–Silk Road Sino-Russian Earth Sciences Center in 2025.
In 2024, INRTU opened the International Joint Research Center for Clean Water, which focuses on water monitoring and management in the Baikal region. The university also hosts the annual iPolytech Conference: Water in the Context of Global Challenges.
Mikhail Korniakov announced two new joint projects with HIT, Hohai University and the Heilongjiang Electric Power Research Institute. The projects focus on energy systems for cold regions and low-temperature wastewater treatment technologies.
Concluding his presentation, Mikhail Korniakov said:
“The Arctic of the future is an Arctic of cooperation. Our task is to ensure that this cooperation begins here – in universities, joint laboratories and research expeditions”.
Note: For over 15 years, the ATURC has united leading engineering universities from both countries. The association promotes academic exchange and supports educational, scientific and technological cooperation between Russian and Chinese universities.
