The winners of the federal "Student Startup" competition, initiated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under the University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform, have been officially announced.
As emphasized by Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government, this year's grant competition will provide over 2,200 students, postgraduates, and medical residents with 1 million rubles each to develop science-intensive projects. Notably, approximately 70% of these business initiatives align directly with the national projects for technological leadership.
Applications were accepted across seven thematic tracks: digital technologies, medicine and health-saving technologies, chemical technologies and new materials, new instruments and intelligent manufacturing technologies, biotechnologies, resource-saving energy, and creative industries.
"At the initiative of our President, the Russian Government is implementing a comprehensive set of measures to support technology entrepreneurship within the university environment. These initiatives help engage students across the country in achieving the national goal of technological leadership and bringing their own products to market," noted Dmitry Chernyshenko. In addition to Russian citizens, representatives from eight other friendly nations also secured victories.
According to Valery Falkov, Head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the leading regions in terms of winning projects are Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, the Novosibirsk Region, and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Samara University's Innovators
Samara University is proudly represented by eight winners:
- Vladislav Morozov – "Multi-Purpose Fixed-Wing UAV"
- Kirill Korovin – "AstroCool: Development of Next-Generation High-Efficiency Radiators"
- Viktor Shalygin – "Development of the MARS System: Modular Analytical Working Network"
- Oleg Strelnikov – "Development of an Intelligent Computer Vision System for Automated Vehicle Reception and Diagnostics in Auto Service Centers"
- Bulat Khalitov – "Development of a Compact Flat Heater for Thermal Management of Battery-Powered Electronic Devices"
- Alexey Goryushkin – "Development of a Compact Stabilized Light Source"
- Mikhail Levitas – "Electromagnetic Valve Actuator for Engine Valve Trains"
- Alina Proskurnina – "Universal Robotic Gripper"
"Over four years, the University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform has fostered an environment in Russian universities that allows students to journey from a mere idea to creating a fully-fledged tech business. The 'Student Startup' competition is one of the platform's key instruments. This year, its winners represent over 300 universities from 79 regions across our country," the Minister stated.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
Elena Bogatova, Head of the Department for Youth Entrepreneurship Development at Samara University, shared her insights on the victory:
"Winning such a prestigious competition is a vital indicator that our youth entrepreneurship ecosystem and university-based programs are truly effective. It is especially rewarding to see teams gaining the opportunity to take the next step and transform their ideas into real-world projects. I congratulate our students—there is a lot of hard work ahead, but they now have even more resources to scale their startups! To those who didn't win this time, I urge you not to stop. In entrepreneurship, success rarely comes on the first try, and persistence often becomes a team's greatest competitive advantage."
Record-Breaking Participation
The competition is organized by the Innovation Promotion Foundation.
"Every year, the popularity of the 'Student Startup' competition grows, and the seventh cohort set a new record with 12,600 applications submitted to the Foundation. It is crucial for us that these projects offer practical value and can be adapted to solve pressing challenges. Among the selected startups, the majority focus on digital technologies, the creation of new instruments, and biotechnology research. And if your project didn't make the final list this time, don't be discouraged—we plan to launch the next round of the competition in just a few months," concluded Andrey Zhizhin, General Director of the Innovation Promotion Foundation.
