Moscow – Nearly 5 000 applications were received for the “Icebreaker of Knowledge” Educational Expedition.
South Africans are no strangers to the Icebreaker of Knowledge project, organised by Rosatom State Corporation.
South Africans once again demonstrated commitment by being among the more than 350 applications from Africa, that included Tanzania, Namibia, Rwanda, and Egypt.
Rosatom said this year the project’s geography expanded to 23 countries.
“The competition this year is exceptionally strong, and such a high level of interest shows that science and nuclear technologies today are indeed drawing tremendous attention of young people around the world,” noted Deputy Director General for Communications at Rosatom International Network (private institution) Alexandra Yustus.
The first stage of the international selection process started on 5 May 2026 as a scientific quiz on the goarctic.energy platform.
The second stage was opened by a series of webinars from Rosatom experts delivered on promising technologies of the future and Arctic shipping.
Based on the combined scores from both stages, 10 finalists were selected in each participating country.
The finalists will now complete a creative assignment, which will be evaluated by a panel of nuclear industry experts, considering both the quality of argumentation and the originality of presentation.
The authors of the best submissions will set off on a ten-day expedition to the northernmost point of the Earth aboard the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory) as early as this August.
The names of the winners will be announced on June 23 on the project website.
The international team will bring together participants from 23 countries: South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Russia, Serbia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
How the Icebreaker of Knowledge can change perspectives and even lives was shared by a participant from South Africa in the 2025 expedition Isabella Eileen Nell.
“I felt proud to represent South Africa, and the expedition made me more confident. I learned that I am capable of much more than I ever thought,” noted Isabella Eileen Nell.
“I made a lot of new friends from different countries. It was amazing to hear their stories and share mine.”
Cooperation between South Africa and Rosatom in education is actively growing.
The state corporation provides annual scholarships for South African students who wish to pursue nuclear education in Russia.
In 2025, Rosatom allocated an additional 15 scholarships for students and young professionals from South Africa.
In March 2026, the sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on human resources development, formalising long‑term cooperation in training specialists for the nuclear industry.
For South African school students, the Icebreaker of Knowledge is not just an adventure – it is a real opportunity to become part of the larger nuclear family and contribute to the energy future of their country.
Background Information:
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region and a historically developed national transportation artery of Russia.
Russia’s history of developing the Northern Sea Route spans more than 500 years and dates back to 1525, when Russian diplomat Dmitry Gerasimov proposed the idea of using a shipping route through the seas of the Arctic Ocean.
In 2018, the Government of the Russian Federation granted Rosatom the authority of infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route.
Russia is the only country in the world with a nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet.
The fleet is operated by FSUE Atomflot, a Rosatom enterprise.
At present, FSUE Atomflot operates eight nuclear-powered icebreakers.
