The XIII season of the All-Russian Engineering Competition has launched. Final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students are invited to participate if they are working on a final qualifying work, a research study, or an original development and are prepared to present it outside their own university.
The All-Russian Engineering Competition has been held by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science since 2014 in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation. During this time, the AREC has become a platform where student projects meet real challenges in science and high-tech industry. Last season, the competition received 13,428 applications from 257 universities and 85 regions of Russia, and 120 participants from 60 educational organizations reached the finals.
Participation begins with a remote review process, after which the best projects advance to the semi-finals. At this stage, work on the projects continues in collaboration with specialists from partner industries: participants receive expert feedback, attend workshops and training sessions led by employers, refine their solutions, and prepare for their presentations. Universities may grant academic credit for the project acceleration undertaken during the semi-finals, recognizing it as a pre-graduation internship.
The next stage is the final, featuring the top 120 participants. They present their projects to senior executives and experts from major Russian companies, research centers, and relevant government agencies. Partners of the ARE competition in previous seasons have included Rosatom, Roscosmos, Rostec, Russian Railways (RZD), VK, the Kurchatov Institute, RusHydro, the United Aircraft Corporation, the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, and other organizations.
Every year, AREC partners propose their own research and development topics—challenges that are genuinely relevant to the industry. You can therefore begin your participation as early as the stage of selecting your final qualifying project: choose an area of interest, discuss it with your academic supervisor, and gradually transform your academic assignment into a full-fledged engineering project. The competition covers a wide range of engineering and scientific fields, including energy, construction, transport, information technology, electronics and communications, chemistry and the oil and gas industry, medicine, biological sciences and ecology, aviation and space, mechanical engineering, fundamental research, and others. The full list is available on the competition's official website.
Participating in the All-Russian Engineering Competition offers the chance to view one’s project through the eyes of industry experts, learn to present it confidently, receive professional feedback, and build valuable connections before even graduating from university. Winners also gain access to additional opportunities, such as job and internship offers from leading companies, advantages for further education, and valuable prizes and gifts from competition partners. Finalists are also included in the state information database for individuals demonstrating outstanding aptitude.
Applications for the XIII season of the All-Russian Engineering Competition will be accepted until 30 November, 2026. You can submit an application and find more details on the official website.