Y2026-03-07T14:46:26+03:00On February 27, 2026, the 23rd International Forum Gas of Russia 2026 was held in Moscow. This key industry event was organized by the Russian Gas Society. The event was part of the "Development of Human Resources in the Oil and Gas Industry" program, bringing together representatives of government, business, and education to discuss pressing issues related to specialist training.
Ildus Chukmarov, Deputy Director for Continuing Education and Industrial Partnerships and Head of the Center for Advanced Training, participated in the forum by personal invitation.
The Gas of Russia Forum, which annually brings together the professional and expert community, heads of government agencies, major Russian and international oil and gas companies, and industry researchers, was this year entirely dedicated to developing human resources in the oil and gas industry.
The forum's business program, held over one day, included a plenary session, a panel discussion, and an open meeting of the Council for Professional Qualifications in the Oil and Gas Complex.
The morning featured a plenary session titled "Challenges and Prospects of the Labor Market in the Oil and Gas Industry – The Energy of Success." Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova and President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin delivered welcoming remarks. The session was moderated by Pavel Zavalny, President of the Russian Gas Society and First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy.
Speakers at the plenary session included:
Vladislav Shapsha, Governor of Kaluga Oblast and Chairman of the State Council Commission on Human Resources;
Dmitry Islamov, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation;
Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of the Saint Petersburg Mining University and Head of the Nedra Consortium of Universities; and others.
The morning session also saw the signing of a number of agreements aimed at developing partnerships in the oil and gas sector.
The program continued with a panel discussion, "The Foundation of the Future: Developing Human Resources in the Oil and Gas Industry," moderated by Elena Tyan, Director of the Gazprom Central Scientific Information System. Participants discussed the interaction of companies with universities and vocational education institutions, the development of a qualifications assessment system, and the formation of a modern labor market.
The participation of a KFU representative in the forum was a logical continuation of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the partnership with the Russian Gas Society. Four months earlier, on October 7, 2025, a cooperation agreement was signed between Kazan Federal University and the Russian Gas Society at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
"We thank the organizers of the forum for the opportunity to participate. Kazan Federal University, the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, and the Center for Advanced Training are developing systemic cooperation with virtually all conference participants, uniting science, education, and industry. Important talks on expanding our activities took place on the sidelines of the forum. I met with Alexander Shagov, Head of Department at Gazprom and Chairman of the Joint Industrial Cooperation Committee, where we discussed future cooperation prospects and outlined specific steps to expand collaboration. I also discussed joint educational programs with Andrey Frolkov, Deputy Head of Department at Gazprom. I would also like to highlight the insightful conversations with Andrey Glazkov, Head of HR at Tatneft, and Elena Shchurova, Director of the HR Department at Transneft. We discussed the most pressing issues - training personnel for the oil and gas industry and adapting our educational programs to the real needs of production," shared Ildus Chukmarov.
