Issue date: 14 April 2026
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of the Russian Federation (MNRE) pursuant to its contract for exploration for polymetallic sulphides, signed with the International Seabed Authority on 29 October 2012, is offering six (6) theoretical training opportunities for candidates from developing States within its 2026 training programme.
OUTLINE
The theoretical training will be held in St. Petersburg at the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Academician I.S Gramberg All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean” (FSBI “VNIIOkeangeologia”), a scientific organization of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and the Russian Federal Subsurface Resource Agency (Rosnedra) specializing in the geological study of the World Ocean, the Arctic, the Antarctic and the continental shelf.
The programme will be for approximately two (2) weeks during the third quarter of 2026 (from the second half of August to the first half of September) under the programme “Exploration and Development of Mineral Resources of the World Ocean.” The following courses will be covered, providing a basic introduction on each topic:
| No. | Courses |
| 1 | Fundamentals of Marine Geology and Geophysics |
| 1.1 | Relief, geological structure and tectonics of the World Ocean floor |
| 1.2 | Marine geophysics |
| 1.3 | Methods of marine geological and geophysical study |
| 2 | Fundamentals of Oceanology and Marine Ecology |
| 2.1.1 | General patters of physical and dynamic processes in the ocean |
| 2.1.2 | Marine ecosystems: research, status and risks in deep-sea mining |
| 3 | Deep-sea Minerals |
| 3.1 | Ferromanganese nodules, cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and polymetallic sulphides |
| 3.1.1 | History of discovery and study |
| 3.1.2 | Distribution and geological settings |
| 3.1.3 | Morphology and material composition |
| 3.1.4 | Search and exploration methods |
| 3.1.5 | Mineralogy and geochemical studies |
| 3.1.6 | Baseline environmental studies and environmental protection during exploration and exploitation operations |
| 3.1.7 | Legal aspects of deep-sea mining |
| 3.1.8 | Technical equipment and prospects for deep-sea mining |
| 3.1.9 | Resources estimation |
| 3.1.10 | Metallurgical processing |
| 3.1.11 | Economic issues of deep-sea mining |
| 4 | Other deposits of the World Ocean: placers, phosphorites, gas hydrates |
Nb. While the training will be in-person and full-time, for instances where it may not be possible to deliver the training in-person, provisions will be made to deliver the training online.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To be considered for this programme, candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Education: at least a bachelor’s degree and/or experience in geological and geophysical work, preferably in the field of marine research.
- Language: Must be fluent in English (both written and spoken). Basic Russian is recommended.
FINANCIAL COMMITMENT
MNRE undertakes to cover the following costs:
- Visa entry into the Russian Federation.
- Round trip transportation of trainees from their places of residence to the place of study.
- Accommodation and meals during the training.
- Insurance coverage for the duration of the training.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Trainees will be required to sign ISA’s Contractors Training Programme Code of Conduct for Trainees prior to the start of the programme.
No later than four (4) weeks after the training has ended, each trainee shall submit an end-of-training report to MNRE and the Authority outlining, amongst other things, the training completed, the benefits of the training opportunity, the knowledge gained and how the training will advance their career/educational pursuits.
Upon successful completion of the programme, trainees shall receive a certificate from the Authority.
Trainees shall also be required to submit a supplementary report to the Authority five (5) years after the training has been completed, to allow for an assessment of the long-term benefits of the programme.
HOW TO APPLY:
All interested applicants are invited to register and submit their applications on the ISA CTP Application Portal, along with their supporting documents, including:
- A recent coloured passport sized photo
- A copy of valid passport biographical page.
- Duly completed and signed nomination form [doc/pdf] by the nominating entity.
- Copy of degree(s) and/or certificate(s)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé
- Proof of sufficient knowledge of English, as required.
Applicants must select the following options when applying for this training opportunity on the Application Portal:
Contractor Name: Government of the Russian Federation (MNRE)/PMS
Year: 2026
Programme Name: Theoretical Training only
Application Deadline: 17 May 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.
One of the Voluntary Commitments registered by ISA at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction 40768) and reiterated in 2022 was ‘Enhancing the role of Women in Marine Scientific Research through Capacity Building’ – As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), MNRE has pledged to allocate 50% of its training opportunities to qualified women applicants.