The Russian Ministry of Education and Science has issued an order to rename the Murmansk State Humanities University as the Murmansk State Arctic University, Arctic-Info reports. Around 300 million rubles are expected to be committed to its development in the next three years.

As Murmansk Region Governor Marina Kovtun earlier said, an Arctic university would help train competent specialists for projects aimed at Arctic development and exploration.

The new university will incorporate the Kola branch of Petrozavodsk State University and Gorny National Mineral University's Khibiny Technical College, which will offer baccalaureate programs. It may also merge with Murmansk State Technical University if the Russian Fishery Agency, which supervises the latter institution, agrees to the move.

The new university will have over 12,000 students and a teaching staff of over 600.