On 5 May 2026, Rosatom started the competitive selection
process for international participants in its VII international scientific and
educational project "Icebreaker of Knowledge". Schoolchildren aged 14
to 16 years old from 22 countries, including Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus,
Bolivia, Brazil, Hungary, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, China,
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Rwanda, Serbia, Tanzania, Turkey,
Uzbekistan, and South Africa, are invited to participate in the international stage
of the selection process.The project winners from each country will participate
in an Arctic expedition to the North Pole aboard the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let
Pobedy which will take place in August 2026. Some of the expedition
participants will be the first representatives of their countries to reach the
pole.
The selection process for international participants consists of three stages. At the first stage, those who register on goarctic.energy take part in a science-based quiz. The second stage comprises a series of webinars on Rosatom's innovative solutions, including technologies used to ensure the safe development of Arctic shipping. After watching the videos, each participant takes a test to assess their knowledge and completes tasks based on the presented material. Top 10 finalists from each country with the highest scores in the first two stages present their ideas related to the topic of the final task in a form of a video business card.
"This is the third time that the Icebreaker of Knowledge project has been organized in an international format. Children from 23 countries will embark on a fascinating and educational journey to the North Pole on a nuclear icebreaker. During 10 days, they will explore the Arctic on board the nuclear icebreaker with leading scientists, science communicators, and bloggers. This expedition is an opportunity not only to reach the highest point on Earth, but also to broaden horizons, make new friends, set records, and perhaps even see a polar bear," said Alexandra Yustus, Deputy Director General for Communications at RAIN Private Institution.
The scientific and educational project Icebreaker of
Knowledge was launched with the support of Rosatom. Its aim is to promote
natural sciences and nuclear technology, to discover and support talented and
gifted children, to develop their skills and to offer them career guidance. The
project involves schoolchildren and students from secondary vocational
education programs aged 14 to 16 years old from around the world. The project
involves schoolchildren and students from vocational schools aged 14-16 from around
the world. The best of them embark on a scientific and educational expedition
to the North Pole aboard the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. Over the past
six seasons, more than 400 schoolchildren and students from various countries
have participated in Arctic expeditions.
Russia is the only country in the world that boasts a fleet of nuclear icebreakers operated by Rosatom's Atomflot. Today, the fleet of Atomflot includes eight nuclear icebreaker.
Rosatom and its companies place special importance on supporting and promoting educational, scientific, and cultural initiatives. They actively participate in the establishment of core departments at Russian universities, the implementation of scholarship programs and large-scale educational projects. They are also involved in the organization of practical training and internships for students, including their future employment.
