Published on: 2026-04-29
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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From April 6 to 10, 2026, the XV Congress of Young Scientists of ITMO University took place in Saint Petersburg. As a result of the event, a 4th-year studentEconomic Faculty (EF) NSU Alina ChurkinaShe became the winner in her section “The Future of the Economy in the Era of Technological Changes: The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Innovation.” She presented a report on the topic: “Personnel Support of Mega-Science Projects: Econometric Analysis of the Gap Between Awareness and Engagement.”
—ITMO is one of the country’s leading technological universities, recognized as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence and data analysis. For me as a researcher, whose work is at the intersection of the economics of high-tech infrastructure, econometrics, and digital tools, presenting at this venue was especially interesting. An additional incentive was that winning at the ITMO World Cup provides a recommendation for publication in the ITMO journal, which is included in the VAK list and the White List., — notesAlina Churkina.
The study is dedicated to the economics of megascience infrastructure — large scientific installations such as the Large Hadron Collider, ITER, and the one under construction in the science city Koltsovo, CKP “SCIF”.
The work proposes a tool for analyzing the gap between the needs of scientific projects and the readiness of territories for their launch.
—A double criticality matrix was developed for diagnostics — a tool that translates the objective deficit of resources and the subjective significance of the problem into coordinates for setting management priorities. The practical result was the development of the architecture and interactive prototype of the SKIF.Sync digital module — a predictive development platform for the territory. It operates within two contours: “Invest-Radar” aggregates the deferred demand of future users for housing, transport, and congress services into dynamic heat maps, creating that verified signal which investors do not miss.The “Personnel Training Ground” forms profiles of potential residents through research tasks and gamified missions. Essentially, this is a transition from expert-assessment-based management to planning of the host territory, which relies on data. The architecture is replicated: common problems are characteristic and for other federal program installations., — explains the student.
The study was conducted under the scientific supervision of a Doctor of Economic Sciences, professorAlmyry Talgatovna Yusupova, which was noted in a separate category as the “Best Scientific Supervisor.”
—It was Almira Talgatovna who helped build the design of the study in such a way that it would not follow a technological trend just for the sake of the trend, and set a standard of scientific rigor, which I oriented to at all stages. The work began with systematizing international cases (CERN, ESRF, ITER) and identifying the limitations of existing analytical frameworks OECD and RI-PATHS. Then followed the collection and processing of empirical data, analysis of strategic planning documents and regulatory legal acts. The final stage was the development of the architecture and prototype of the SKIF.Sync platform, which I presented at the Congress.— Alina Churkina says.
The preparation for the speech took several months and included the analysis of international cases and work with empirical data.
—Two things turned out to be complex, and they are closely connected. Firstly, almost all the literature on megascience objects in English does not reflect the Russian institutional context. Secondly, interdisciplinarity,— notes the student.
According to Alina, the victory was unexpected and pleasant.
—I experienced sincere joy and, to be honest, a little surprise when I learned about the victory. The section brought together participants with real expertise in the field of big data, digital systems, and high-tech developments, recognition from such an audience is especially valuable to me,— says the student.
The student’s victory and the recognition of her scientific advisor confirm the high level of research training at the Economics Faculty of NGU and its inclusion in the current scientific agenda.
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