Year 2025 for the Institute: from underground refining to documentaries
For the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, 2025 was marked by a number of significant events in the scientific, educational, and cultural spheres.
Last year, the Institute’s structure was expanded to include the Department of Theory and Methodology of Geographical and Environmental Education and the Department of Geography and Cartography, which significantly increased the number of educational programs. In addition, innovative technologies were developed and new chemical products were created, some of which have been put into production, and the number of industrial partners grew.
New research results obtained by the Institute’s staff were reflected in more than 300 papers published in Russian and international scientific journals. News about our discoveries and developments was regularly covered by reputable Russian media outlets.
In 2025, the Institute’s employees published 7 monographs, defended 5 Candidate of Sciences dissertations and 1 Doctor of Sciences dissertation, and received around 100 different awards, including the Global Young Leaders Award and the Scientific Breakthrough of Tatarstan award. IGPT students also became winners and prize-winners of competitions and sports events at various levels.
As part of KFU’s cross-university evaluation, the Institute was visited by experts from Sociocenter – the operator of Russia’s largest state development programs in science and higher education – who concluded that IGPT conducts research that is ahead of its time.
Two events at the end of the year once again confirmed this. First, Danis Nurgaliev, Vice-Rector for Earth Sciences and Scientific Supervisor of the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, was elected a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Second, the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology for the creation and implementation of innovative technologies for in-situ upgrading and efficient production of heavy oil from complex reservoirs was awarded to our representatives: Alexey Vakhin, Chief Researcher of the In-Situ Combustion Laboratory, and Vladislav Sudakov, Deputy Director for Marketing of the Gazprom Neft–KFU Research and Education Center. These breakthrough scientific results became possible thanks to a long, intensive effort by the entire team, begun back in 2014, which managed to bring to life a fantastic idea: creating a full-fledged oil-refining plant underground, within an oil and gas reservoir, including a catalytic aquathermolysis reactor and its monitoring system.
Another major event last year was that Kazan University won a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation to establish and develop an engineering center, opened at KFU’s Small-Tonnage Chemical Technology Park. The total federal subsidy for 2025–2026 will amount to 250 million rubles. Under this program, a complete value chain for small-tonnage chemistry for the oil and gas and related industries will be built – from R&D to pilot production. To date, more than 40 tons of various chemical products developed at KFU have been produced.
In 2025, the Institute’s scientists received dozens of grants. For example, with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), studies will be carried out to help build facies maps of Visean deposits, uncover the mechanism of surfactants’ action on highly viscous oil, and continue work on the project “Development of new technological approaches to catalytic subsurface upgrading of highly viscous and extra-viscous oil of a world-class laboratory.” Three IGPT research projects received grant support from the Foundation for Science and Technology of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The Institute’s developments were recognized with various awards. For instance, the ResNeuro software package created at IGPT won an innovation and R&D competition for the fuel and energy sector held as part of the International Forum Russian Energy Week.
The Institute’s students proved they are second to none by becoming winners and prize-winners of the First World Championship in Geology, held within the framework of the 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress in Saint Petersburg. In addition, in 2025, the student branch of the Association of Geologists, Geophysicists and Engineers at KFU was named best in Russia. Moreover, 10 students and 2025 graduates won the Student Startup competition, conducted under the federal project Platform for University Technological Entrepreneurship, and received 1 million rubles each to implement their business projects. Two female representatives of the Institute also received the Kazan Mayor’s Scholarship.
The year 2025 brought many new discoveries and innovations. In particular, IGPT scientists developed an innovative nanotechnology for in-reservoir upgrading of heavy oil and proposed a method for rapid assessment of the permeability of oil- and gas-bearing rocks; revealed the mechanism of hydrate formation using surfactants; proved that a water-soluble nickel-based catalyst under hydrothermal treatment improves quality and increases the amount of synthetic oil produced; and clarified how rocks formed that are potential sources of shale oil in the Volga–Ural region. The Institute’s representatives created a catalyst based on salts of weak acids to simplify the extraction of highly viscous oil; a geomagnetic model of eastern Tatarstan for precise well drilling; the first detailed engineering-geological zoning map of the industrial heart of Tatarstan; a digital model of the ancient lake Turgoyak; and conducted a study of Lake Aslykul in Bashkortostan. In addition, innovative solutions were proposed to clean the Black Sea coastline from oil product pollution, and the first installation in Russia for producing solid hydrate pellets was assembled.
The Institute’s developments were presented at forums, symposia, conferences, and other major events held in Russia and abroad, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Oman, the UAE, and other countries. During visits to IGPT, dozens of delegations from different countries had the opportunity to ознакомиться with these developments, including representatives of Kim Chaek University of Technology (DPRK).
In 2025, at the CdoGEO (Center for Advanced Training), employees of 180 Russian and foreign oil and gas companies underwent training across 106 programs. Among those who upgraded their qualifications at CdoGEO were 13 foreign citizens from Cuba, China, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Last year, the Institute’s staff held more than 50 career guidance meetings with school students from Tatarstan and other regions of Russia. Twelve meetings between students and employers were organized, and four Open Days were held, including one virtual event for prospective students from Bashkortostan.
The Institute’s cultural life in 2025 included many bright events. Alongside traditional activities, two events took place that will undoubtedly become part of its history. A short film, The Fundamental Law of the Relationship Between Time and Space in Geology, dedicated to the founder of the Kazan geological school, Nikolai Golovkinsky, was released. The idea for its creation belonged to Danis Nurgaliev, who was also one of the scriptwriters. Another memorable event was the first New Year’s ball in the university’s history, organized by IGPT and bringing together students and faculty.
