Polytech Students Win Two Grand Prix Awards and First Place at the International SMART CITY 2030 Competition
On October 6, the results of the 3rd International Competition of Student and Young Researchers' Projects, “SMART CITY 2030: Managing the Sustainable Development of BRICS Cities,” were announced in Moscow. The final round and award ceremony took place as part of the Techno-Science Educational Forum. Teams from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) won two Grand Prix awards, while another SPbPU student team took first place in the international category.
SMART CITY 2030 was initiated by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and is now an international project involving leading universities from BRICS countries. The competition is co-organized by SPbPU, Lovely Professional University (India), Tsinghua University (China), and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). At SPbPU, the Higher School of Industrial Management was responsible for organizing and conducting the competition.
The competition brings together undergraduate and postgraduate students and young researchers to develop practical solutions for sustainable urban development. In 2026, projects from 391 teams representing nine countries were submitted. For the first time, the SMART CITY GLOBAL — International Open Track category was introduced for teams from countries outside BRICS+.
The projects were evaluated by an International Expert Council comprising representatives of universities, research institutions, businesses, and public organizations from Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Iran. The evaluation criteria included innovation, feasibility, impact on urban development, the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, scalability across BRICS+ countries, and presentation quality.
Polytech’s first Grand Prix was awarded in the “Smart City Technologies and Services” category for the project Urban Water Economics 2030: Water and Energy in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region through 2030. The team proposed treating water supply and energy systems in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region as a single economic system. This approach makes it possible to link water and energy consumption and use data to plan infrastructure and manage resources more effectively.
The second Grand Prix went to the Russian-Chinese team Think Pink!, comprising representatives of Tongji University and SPbPU, in the “Intelligent and Creative Urban Development” category. Their project, Living Windows 2030, proposes a model for the temporary use of vacant spaces in Shanghai for educational, community, and creative initiatives.
Another achievement for Polytech was first place in the SMART CITY GLOBAL — International Open Track category. The award went to the international team Bringinn, comprising SPbPU students and a participant from Nigeria. Their project is an alternate reality game that engages residents in solving urban challenges and can be adapted for different cities across BRICS+ countries.
In addition to the project presentations, the forum hosted the BRICS+ Foresight Arena, “AI and the Future Labor Market.” Working with expert mentors, participants developed “BRICS+ 2030 Labor Market Profiles,” identifying professions and roles likely to change under the influence of artificial intelligence, the competencies that will be required, and potential areas for joint action among BRICS+ countries.
SMART CITY 2030 continues to develop as an international educational and innovation platform, bringing students and young researchers together to address practical challenges in sustainable urban development. A key feature of the competition is its international, multidisciplinary teams, in which participants from different countries work together to develop solutions for the cities of the future.