Rosatom has opened applications for the 2026 Icebreaker of Knowledge expedition, inviting teenagers from 23 countries, including Namibia, to compete for a voyage to the North Pole aboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker.
The Russian state nuclear entity has launched the international selection process for its VII scientific and educational project “Icebreaker of Knowledge”.
School learners aged 14 to 16 from 23 countries, including Egypt, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa, are invited to participate. The project winners from each country will participate in an Arctic expedition to the North Pole aboard the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy, which will take place in August 2026.
Some of the expedition participants will be the first representatives of their countries to reach the pole.
The Icebreaker of Knowledge brings together education, international exchange and Arctic exploration aboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker. During the ten-day expedition, participants will explore the Arctic alongside leading scientists, science communicators and fellow students from around the world.
The programme includes lectures, interactive sessions and discussions focused on advanced technologies, Arctic exploration and international cooperation.
For Namibian learners, the project offers access to an international network of young scientists, engineers and innovators. Participants exchange ideas, collaborate across cultures, develop communication and leadership skills, and gain valuable exposure to STEM-related educational and career opportunities.
Alongside lectures, interactive sessions and teamwork, the expedition creates friendships, professional connections and memories that stay with participants long after the journey ends. Participants will witness the unique beauty of the polar region. They can expect encounters with polar bears, new friends from all over the world, and stories that will stay with them for life.
“My first impression of Russia is that it is beautiful and so different from any place I have seen before, and the landscape is very peaceful,” emphasised the Icebreaker of Knowledge 2025 participant Beresford Teaghan from Namibia.
The competition for international participants consists of three stages. At the first stage, those who register on goarctic.energy take part in a science-based quiz. The second stage comprises a series of webinars on Rosatom’s innovative solutions, including technologies used to ensure the safe development of Arctic shipping.
After watching the videos, each participant takes a test to assess their knowledge and completes tasks based on the presented material. Top 10 finalists from each country with the highest scores in the first two stages present their ideas related to the topic of the final task in a form of a short video presentation.
The expedition takes place aboard the 50 Let Pobedy, part of Russia’s fleet of nuclear icebreakers operated by Rosatom. Russia remains the only country in the world operating a nuclear icebreaker fleet, which currently includes eight vessels.
Russia and Namibia have a long history of cooperation in science, and technology. Rosatom actively supports educational exchanges with Namibian institutions, including training programmes for young Namibian specialists and promoting nuclear science among schoolchildren.
Namibia’s participation in Icebreaker of Knowledge opens a new chapter in bilateral cooperation, giving Namibian teenagers a chance to be among the first from their country to reach the North Pole.
In the photo: Last year’s cohort of “Ice Breakers” from various countries.
