About the World of New Opportunities program
The World of New Opportunities program includes four segments: Develop, Create, Act, and Build. Each of the segments includes from three to nine areas. All events are held annually. We have written a summary of each event so that you can choose which one to participate in.
Social project competition
The unit supports public non-profit initiatives, such as creating an animation school, social integration of children with disabilities, preservation of the oral Sami language and culture.
Nornickel has been holding the competition since 2014.
The World of Taimyr social project competition
Place: Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory
The aim is to support socially significant initiatives of non-profit entities, family (clan)
communities, and state and municipal institutions in Taimyr.
In 2023, the competition’s budget amounted to 53 mln rubles. The money has been awarded to 18 projects. For instance, the village of Khatanga got a multipurpose, year-round sports field, and the settlement of Potapovo got a public area.
Peremena (Class Break) educational project
Place: Norilsk, Dudinka, Monchegorsk, Zapolyarny, Nikel, Chita, Gazimur-Zavodsky district of the Trans-Baikal Territory
Date: year round
The project has been ongoing since 2020. It involves teachers, principals, schoolchildren, students and their parents, as well as anyone who takes an interest in education issues. The aim of the project is to drive the development of the education system and educational environment in the cities where the company has operations. The project also helps promote dialogue among parents, children, educators, career counselors, and school principals.
In April 2024, six cities hosted the Peremena urban city quest. High school students
embarked on an exciting journey to explore their home cities, during which they had to overcome various challenges and fulfil tasks aimed at helping them improve their
communication, analytical, and organizational skills.
The City Is Us forum of social technologies
At the forum, every resident can propose ideas for life and leisure in the city. The forum's objective is to compile a list of the best and most effective techniques that organizations and engaged citizens may use to alter their towns.
Half of the moderators and experts of the forum are native Norilsk residents. Forum topics are chosen based on public opinion polls; the discussion revolves around local experiences and concerns. Social and innovative initiatives, and inspiring success stories are in the spotlight. The 2024 forum focused on growth opportunities for the city’s youth, discussed the integration of digital technologies into non-profit organizations and featured a startup test drive.
The City Is Us social design bureau
A three-day crash course on developing and improving social project planning skills for active residents. Course participants study the full social project development cycle – from idea to implementation. The first two days of the crash course are dedicated to identifying pressing local problems and developing possible solutions. The third day is dedicated to putting the ideas into practice and organizing city events.
For example, after the project session, participants from the village of Gazimursky Zavod, which is home to the Bystrinsky Mining and Processing Plant, implemented the Games of My Youth project. It was a competition for kids' games including jump rope and hopscotch.
The City Is Us picnic
A family-friendly summertime outdoor event that has been hosted in the cities where Nornickel is present since 2015. The picnic is organized by city activists, participants of all segments of the World of New Opportunities program, and the Good Deed Factory corporate volunteer program.
The picnic program includes contests, entertainment, and sports competitions for people of all ages. It features activities such as workshops, lectures, and theatrical performances.
Travel grants
Place: Norilsk, Taimyr, Murmansk Region
Date: throughout the year
This is a competition for representatives of public and non-profit organizations from Norilsk, the Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets district, and the Murmansk Region – Monchegorsk and Pechenga district. Active participants of projects within the framework of the World of New Opportunities charitable program and employees of state and municipal institutions can apply for travel grants.
The grant can be spent on a professional internship, participation in a conference, or attending a project school, among other things.
I MAKE engineering marathon
Place: Norilsk, Dudinka, Monchegorsk, Nickel, Zapolyarny, Chita
Date: September – October
The marathon originated from the innovators' competition of the same name, which helped schoolchildren from Norilsk, Monchegorsk, and Pechenga district win three gold medals at worldwide invention project contests held in Indonesia and Switzerland.
The marathon consists of several stages. At first, schoolchildren take part in activities that introduce them to the basics of invention. The most active participants move on to the face-to-face stage – a two-day engineering crash course.
In 2023, over 1,000 novice inventors participated in the marathon, with the number of applications totaling 160. The winning projects included:
- a method for producing fresh water from snow, rain, and meltwater that collects on residential rooftops (the author is Veronica Morozova);
- a scarf with an integrated flap to keep moisture from accumulating (the author is Ernest Kashapov).
Arctic Wave festival of scientific discoveries and inventions
Place: Norilsk, Monchegorsk
Date: April
The festival has been held since 2015. Its goal is to get children interested in science and technology, support proactive youth and engineering ideas, and, of course, showcase the latest technological advancements.
Students and schoolchildren study, develop, share ideas, and experience innovation for two days. Career choice competitions were included in the Arctic Wave festival in Norilsk for the first time in 2024: the Engineers' Cup and Solved! competition, which pitted mixed teams against one another to create urban engineering solutions and included members of the In Good Company community.
FABLAB laboratories for scientific and technological creativity
Place: Norilsk, Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets municipal district, Monchegorsk, and Pechenga district of the Murmansk Region
Date: year round
Urban venues for promoting innovative projects and technologies among young people. The laboratories are equipped with machines and other engineering equipment. For example, FABLAB in Norilsk is equipped with 3D scanners, 3D printers, laser and milling machines, printing and cutting plotters, a lathe, and a molding machine.
Schoolchildren and students can make free 3D replicas of any object, printed documents, mementos, and original artwork. We are holding competitions, seminars and educational intensive courses at the laboratories.
“Social Entrepreneurship” training course
The objective of this course is to support entrepreneurs that help address social issues. The course lasts from four to six months. During this time, trainees participate in four training sessions of four days each and eventually go from a business idea to a finished project.
The best projects receive interest-free repayable loans for two years for implementation. In the last five years, the course has been attended by more than 1,400 people in Norilsk, Monchegorsk and Pechenga District. We have supported over 30 projects with total financial support exceeding RUB 100 mln. In 2023, the company supported the establishment of a dental center in Talnakh, a pet burial service, and an aesthetic medicine clinic in Norilsk.
Investment session
The session selects the best business projects focused on improving the quality of life of residents in the cities where the company operates. The session is preceded by a four-month educational program, during which participants have developed their business projects, received consultations, and attended trainings and seminars.
The 13 projects selected for 2024 include: Avtomagiya service station, Magic SPA beauty studio, Remarka cultural gastrobar in Zapolyarny, development of an Arctic soap workshop and rental station in Monchegorsk.
Accelerator of social business projects
It is an institute for accelerated development of startups and existing business projects through training, mentorship and expert support. Each program lasts two months and allows businesspeople to develop their entrepreneurial skills and accelerate the development of their projects.
All you need to become a part of the project is to be registered as a legal entity, have a product that can be offered to customers, and a team of at least three people. In 2023, 194 community initiatives from the cities in which the company operates made it to the finals.
Business Forum for Social Entrepreneurs of the North
Place: Norilsk
When: November
The forum has been held since 2017. The aim of the project is to promote social entrepreneurship in the northern regions of Russia. It is a platform for discussion and sharing experiences between entrepreneurs and expert consultants.
cultural projects
Norilsk Development Agency
Place: Norilsk
Institute of community-based development, which facilitates the improvement of quality of life in the city, and development of the social environment. The Agency creates a favorable investment climate and implements projects that transform urban space.
The organization was founded by the Norilsk municipality, Nornickel and the Vladimir Potanin Foundation.
In 2023, the Norilsk Development Agency completed a multi-year project to build a leisure zone in the courtyard at 10 Talnakhskaya street. The city is now boasting three new murals and a mosaic panel "Arctic Sun". During the year eight industrial tours were developed, and over 30,000 city dwellers visited the exhibition of domestic tourism "In the center of Taimyr". The agency organized the X-WATERS open water swim on the Yenisei River and the Norilsk Trail cross-country race. It has also held a children's startup school twice.
The Second School Center
Place: Murmansk region
Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Center for Social Projects of Pechenga District "Second School" contributes to the socio-economic development of Nickel township and the Pechenga Municipal District of the Murmansk Region. The center was founded by the district government and Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company.
In 2023, the center arranged for the demolition of four derelict properties in Nickel, which freed up about 7,500 square meters of land. The center prepared the terms of reference for the reconstruction of sewage and treatment facilities in the township and a strategy for the development of the Pechenga Polytechnic College. It also developed tourist routes.
Monchegorsk Development Agency
Place: Monchegorsk
This public organization creates a comfortable urban environment and develops the local economy through new projects, investments and job growth. Every year the Agency organizes a women's forum "About You". In 2024, it brought together more than 300 active women.
In 2023, agency staff conducted two business workshops with local entrepreneurs to develop summer and winter tourist routes, and planned nine tours to Imandra.
The organization supports small businesses. With the help of the agency, local entrepreneurs received more than RUB 20 mln as grants to develop their projects.