Norilsk Nickel entered into an agreement with Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov on the study of the Arctic

The Norilsk Nickel company has entered into an agreement with the country's leading university – Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov – about conducting large-scale research in the Arctic zone of Russia.

Scientists with the support of Norilsk Nickel will study climate change, the state and behavior of permafrost, including objects located on permafrost, as well as the biodiversity of the Arctic. In addition, the parties will explore the possibility of extracting valuable components from metallurgical waste.

MSU and Norilsk Nickel will conduct research in all these areas, involving the university’s partners. The plans also include expert support for each other’s projects, exchange of documents and information.

“Norilsk Nickel is a pioneer in the industrial development of the Arctic. Over 90 years of operation, the company and its team have accumulated a huge amount of practical information about the Arctic and its characteristics. Today we strive to combine our experience with the research capabilities of modern science. Moscow State University is the flagship of the Russian scientific community. I am confident that our cooperation will qualitatively improve the level of knowledge about the Arctic,” commented Stanislav Seleznev, Norilsk Nickel’s vice president for ecology and industrial safety.

Moscow State University Rector Viktor Sadovnichy noted that Arctic research is one of the university’s development priorities. MSU conducts research along the entire Russian Arctic coast.

“MSU actively studies cryological processes, glacial systems, responses of Arctic ecosystems to climate change, monitors greenhouse gas flows and polar biodiversity. The comprehensive nature of these works is ensured by the participation of specialists from various disciplines – geographers and geologists, biologists and soil scientists, economists and mathematicians. The centers of such activities are the Arctic Laboratory Center, the Laboratory of Geoecology of the North, the Center for Marine Research, other research structures, as well as unique bases, including the White Sea Biological Station, the Khibiny Educational and Scientific Base, and numerous expeditions to Yamal, Taimyr, Chukotka and other regions of the Arctic. At the initiative of Moscow State University, the “Floating University” project is being implemented to study the Arctic seas. Interaction with leading Russian companies is of high importance for the university: the accumulated experience and knowledge should find practical application in working with Norilsk Nickel,” noted Viktor Sadovnichy.