Published on: 2026-08-28
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Today in Novosibirsk, the XIII International Forum on Technological Development “Technoprom-2026” is concluding. This year, representatives from science, the real sector of the economy, government authorities, and the education sphere from 75 Russian regions and 39 countries registered for the forum’s events.
The forum was attended by the rector of SPbPU, Andrey Rudskoy. He gave presentations dedicated to the training of engineering personnel for advanced sectors of the economy.
At the main plenary session of the forum, attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko, the role of “megascience”-class facilities in implementing national technological leadership projects was discussed. The topic of the plenary session was further developed at sections and round tables. For example, Andrey Rudskoy delivered a report titled “Digital Engineering of ‘Megascience’: How the Polytechnic Model Unites Design, Digital Twins, and Fundamental Science in the Educational Track” at the round table “Training Personnel for ‘Megascience’ Class Facilities: Challenges and Solutions.”
Today, there are four megascience projects in Russia — NICA, SILA, RIF, and SKIF. Each such complex requires more than a thousand specialists, whose training must include both fundamental knowledge of physics and complex engineering, supercomputer modeling, the application of digital twins, and artificial intelligence. At the Polytechnic University, this task is addressed through systematic digital engineering, which combines the fundamental laws of physics and mechanics, materials science, design, mathematical and supercomputer modeling, digital twin technologies, and artificial intelligence. The Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” of SPbPU, which is based on the CML-Bench® platform, has significant experience in this area.
In December 2022, SPbPU and the Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences signed an agreement to create the “Digital Twins of Megascience Facilities” center for developing the digital twin of “SKIF.” Students already from the 2nd–3rd year will have access to digital (virtual) experiments, field calculations, and assessments of material and structural resource life — this will be counted as educational practice.
Another agreement with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences concerns the implementation of joint projects at SKIF and the establishment of joint master’s programs.
The polytechnic model of systemic digital engineering creates an ecosystem where mathematical modeling is inextricably linked with materials science and design, and AI technologies accelerate data processing. Our partnership with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is an example of the synergy between science and education. SPbPU is ready to become the integrator of this work for the benefit of the entire country, — concluded Andrey Rudskoy.
The rector of SPbPU also spoke at the session “Engineer of the Future for National Projects: Why We Can No Longer Teach the Old Way?” His report focused on the need for a fundamental change in the higher education model in accordance with the tasks of the economy.
National projects of technological leadership require an engineer-architect. This is a specialist who sees the entire system as a whole: technical, cyber-physical, production, organizational — and does this at all stages of the life cycle: from development to operation and disposal, — explained Andrey Rudskoy.
The Rector of Polytech believes that such an engineer cannot be trained using the classical model, which involves passive knowledge transfer, prioritizing fundamental disciplines separate from practice, and teaching problem-solving based on typical tasks using known algorithms. This model was suitable for the industrial era, where technologies changed over decades, but it is unsuitable today when the speed of development and technological change is such that the knowledge acquired in the first year becomes obsolete by the time the student graduates. Most importantly, today it is not enough to be a competent specialist; one must be able to solve unstructured problems in conditions of uncertainty.
To modernize the educational model, Andrey Rudskoy proposed introducing project-based learning from the first year so that students participate in real engineering projects with industrial partners. Among other ideas are reformatting the educational content in such a way that systems digital engineering, mathematical and computer modeling, digital twins, additive technologies, and artificial intelligence become the foundation of engineering activities; integration with industry at all levels — from curriculum development to creating joint laboratories and regular R&D activities; nurturing future engineers starting from school.
Photo: https://vk.ru/forum_technoprom
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