In 2024, the Floating University welcomed students and postgraduates from around the world for the fourth time. The primary objective of the project is to integrate young professionals into the Russian oceanological scientific community and address staffing shortages in specialized organizations. The program is more than just an extended "career guidance" for young people. It offers a full immersion into the profession — participating in an expedition aboard a research vessel allows them to experience all aspects of the work firsthand, gain experience, and potentially receive a job offer. It's no surprise that applications for the program come from over thirty countries worldwide.

The Floating University program is divided into two stages. The first stage, Winter School, involves an in-person educational intensive, complemented by workshops and lectures from industry specialists. To participate, one must pass a competitive selection process and reach one of the 11 venues in 8 Russian cities. In 2024, it took place over three days on February 5-7. During this stage, young people were introduced to marine sciences, potential scientific career paths, and professional activities. The Winter School accepts students and postgraduates from all over the world — in 2023, motivational letters were received from young marine research enthusiasts from 37 countries, and 27 individuals were able to participate in person. Traveling from Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Pakistan, and other countries was challenging, but the prospect of participating in a real expedition as a full-fledged member outweighs all potential difficulties. This year, the management of the Floating University is expanding its cooperation with partners from BRICS countries, attracting participants to the project from all over the world.

After the Winter School, students apply to participate in one of the expeditions. The selection process for the ship's crew involves several stages, including an interview with the expedition leader, integration into the scientific team, and immersion into the essence of the research. Participants are not just there to "watch how adults work", but to fully engage in work alongside experienced colleagues, resulting in a substantial portfolio and valuable life experience. In the "scientific supervisor-student" pair, the young scientist will collect samples, meticulously adjust instruments, write reports, articles and abstracts for presentations, and then present at scientific conferences.

The Floating University has several geographical focuses, but the Arctic is one of the main ones. Last year, two expeditions were organized to northern waters, where hydrophysiologists, biologists, ecologists, and other specialists worked. For instance, on the ship Dalnie Zelentsy, a team of 6 scientific supervisors and 12 students worked in the Kara and Barents Seas, including in the waters around the Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos. "The main feature of the hydrophysical works at this stage is the focus on studying fast-moving processes in the upper layer of the sea. Among the most important results of our voyage is the testing of a rapidly deployable system for monitoring short-period variability of hydrophysical fields of the ocean in Arctic conditions," Alexei Zimin, head of the expedition and Doctor of Geographical Sciences, told Science and Life magazine. The main principle of the Floating University is to conduct relevant research while training specialists during actual work.

Today, after submitting their applications, Floating University students are awaiting assignment to research vessels. Last year, out of 800 applicants, about a hundred participants were selected for the voyage, so the chances are quite comparable to getting admitted to a high-demand program at a top university.  

However, participants of another similarly named project, the Arctic Floating University, already have their work locations sorted. This is a regional initiative of the Northern Arctic Federal University (NAFU) and the Federal State Budgetary Institution Northern Department of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, carried out on the Professor Molchanov vessel since 2012. Participation in the project also entails attending a winter school and undergoing a competitive selection process for the expedition, with the research primarily focusing on the needs of the Arctic region. This year's main research topics include the pollution of Arctic waters, the impact of microplastics on flora and fauna, solar radiation, and a broad spectrum of hydrometeorological studies.