10.06.2022 // Russian regions will launch the first Arctic start-up expedition before the end of 2022. Its participants will look for green solutions to combat the effects of climate change and create animated films that will help preserve the culture of indigenous peoples of the North. All of them will be trained in technological entrepreneurship and learn to create their own business cases. The best projects will be put into practice by major corporations working in the Arctic.

A large-scale training programme, Arctic Startup Expedition was developed and launched at the initiative of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The new project builds upon the B8 Startup Expedition, which began in 2019 in the Far Eastern Federal District. In 2020, it's format was expanded to an all-Russian expedition. The most promising projects from all regions of Russia were selected for implementation by major companies like Severstal or Alrosa IT.

The new format of the Arctic Startup Expedition will find and support promising projects that will help to make life and work in the Arctic more comfortable and safe. All of them will be offered to domestic market leaders operating in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. Fresh technological solutions are especially relevant in light of import substitution.

The expedition will have three tracks. The first track, "Technological Entrepreneurship", is designed for those who are only planning to start their own business or are making their first steps in this direction.

The "Preserving Cultural Heritage Through New Technologies" track will be of interest to those who want to preserve the culture of the indigenous peoples of the North through animated content. Industry experts will explain how the world's largest animation studios work and how the entire process takes place, from writing the script and creating the character to developing a marketing plan and working with content distributors.

Those who join the third track, "Startups and Sustainability," will look for green technological solutions that will help combat the effects of climate change. Another critical challenge is trying to understand how industrial corporations can become more environmentally friendly.

Arctic Startup Expedition organisers accept applications from all regions of the country. The programme is open not only to Russians, but also to foreign participants, including members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

"We invite universities, non-profits, corporations and regions to cooperate," said Savina Alexeyeva, the project's programme director, at the presentation of the expedition held on May 25 in the pavilion of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) at the 10th Startup Village Skolkovo technology conference.