The "PhotonX" Student Design Bureau (SDB) of the Institute of IT and Cybernetics at Samara University has secured a spot in the top ten nationwide in the SDB-2026 federal competition for the "Creation and Development of Student Design Bureaus" category. The bureau emerged as a leader among more than 150 university SDBs from across the country.
Dmitry Nesterenko, Head of the "PhotonX" SDB and Head of the Department of Cyberphotonics at Samara University, noted that the bureau currently unites 25 young scientists, university students, and schoolchildren who are developing technical innovations in photonics for end-use products across various industries.
The scientific leadership of the SDB is provided by Vladimir Butuzov, Deputy General Director and Chief Designer of JSC "Research Institute Ekran" (NII Ekran), and Roman Skidanov, Deputy Head of the "Image Processing Systems Institute – Samara" branch of the Kurchatov Institute's Crystallography and Photonics Complex, and Professor at the Department of Cyberphotonics.
"The activities of the 'PhotonX' SDB are implemented in alignment with the national technological leadership projects across priority areas: space technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence, and optical communication for industrial robotics. Our primary goal is to enhance the quality of engineering training to ensure the country's technological sovereignty in the field of photonics," emphasized Dmitry Nesterenko.
To achieve its core mission of activating the training of proactive design engineers, the "PhotonX" SDB operates through three specialized centers: the Center for Technical Innovations, the Center for Evolutionary-Activity Training of Design Engineers, and the Center for Proactive Activities for Schoolchildren.
The foundation of the SDB's operations is the "evolutionary-activity approach." The project's authors believe this methodology will productively integrate education, science, and manufacturing, while also facilitating early career guidance and professional development for schoolchildren.
"Young participants will gain experience in creating qualitatively new, in-demand products with novel properties, as well as the ability and readiness to flexibly adapt their career trajectories: mastering new skills, transitioning into related fields, and quickly adapting to a rapidly changing socio-technological environment," explained the Head of the "PhotonX" SDB.
Generally, SDBs are established at universities to engage young people in solving real-world scientific, technical, and engineering challenges relevant to industrial partners, with the potential for subsequent implementation into production and technological processes.
The "PhotonX" SDB plans to organize effective collaboration with enterprises interested in photonics research, including JSC "NII Ekran", JSC "AvtoVAZ", LLC "Geoscan", LLC "Byte-Samara", LLC "SPSM", LLC "Locus", JSC "Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant" (UOMZ), LLC "Telecom-Polytechnic", and others.
"Such collaboration will ensure the direct involvement of students and schoolchildren in real engineering and research activities," stressed the Head of the SDB.
Thus, for Samara University, the "PhotonX" SDB is becoming a central hub for innovative design and engineering activities for future graduates in the field of photonics, while for industrial partners, it serves as a talent pipeline and a foundation for building productive teams focused on meeting industry needs.
