The winners of the FSI "Student Startup" competition received 36 million rubles in grant support.

      September 12, 2025 17:29

      [119]

      Economy

      36 million rubles in grant support were awarded to 36 winners of the "Student Startup" competition. The competition is held by the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations as part of the federal project "Platform for University Technological Entrepreneurship."

      The maximum grant under the "Student Startup" program is 1 million rubles. Funds can be used for conducting R&D, purchasing equipment, registering intellectual property, paying labor costs and other expenses.

      The regional office of the foundation — the Ankudinovka technopark — helps participants in the foundation’s competitions choose a suitable contest and correctly prepare their applications. The organization’s specialists accompany contestants through all stages of the project, providing informational and organizational support.

      "The 'Student Startup' program gives students the opportunity to implement their own developments and gain experience in technological entrepreneurship. Since 2022, 112 students from Nizhny Novgorod have become winners of the competition. In 2025, 312 applications were submitted from the region, of which 36 received grant support. These are projects of various directions: from the development of fire safety systems using drones and neural networks to developments in new materials and biotechnology," said the Minister of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship Maxim Cherkasov.

      The minister added that another seven projects from Nizhny Novgorod residents entered the competition reserve and may receive funds if additional financing from the foundation becomes available.

      This year, students from four Nizhny Novgorod universities received grant support: Nizhny Novgorod State Agricultural Academy named after L.Ya. Florentyev, Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after R.E. Alekseev, Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky and Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University named after K. Minin. Four of the winning Nizhny Novgorod residents represent universities in other regions.

      "We are actively working with Nizhny Novgorod students and young developers, helping them integrate into the infrastructure that supports technological business. The 'Student Startup' program opens the path for participants from idea to the first steps of project commercialization. This year, ten projects in the field of digital technologies received financial support, eight — in new materials and chemical technologies, six — in instrumentation and intelligent manufacturing technologies, nine — in biotechnology, and three projects in the creative industries," said Timur Radaev, head of the Ankudinovka technopark.

      One of the winners of the "Student Startup" competition was Alina Petukhova. Her project is aimed at creating a compact and fully automated device for growing vegetables and microgreens using the aeroponics method. The key feature of the development is the ultrasonic atomization of the nutrient solution, thanks to which plant growth is accelerated by 1.5–2 times compared to hydroponics, and water consumption is reduced by up to 90%.

      "Participating in the competition gave me the opportunity to try myself in entrepreneurship and get support to implement the idea. We plan to bring the product to market as a smart kitchen appliance that can be controlled via a touch panel or mobile app. The device could be in demand both in households and in small businesses. The project is currently at the idea stage, and the grant will make it possible to create the first prototype and conduct tests," Alina Petukhova said.

      Recall that information on all business support measures at the federal and regional levels can be found at the "My Business" center (мойбизнес52.рф), which operates within the federal project "Small and Medium Entrepreneurship" of the national project "Effective and Competitive Economy." The center runs the "My Business" hotline, where you can also get all the necessary information. Hotline phone: 8 (800) 301-29-94 (toll-free).

      The national project "Effective and Competitive Economy," initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will become the main tool for forming a new growth model. It includes federal projects aimed at developing small and medium-sized enterprises, increasing labor productivity, boosting investment activity, low-carbon development and developing the state system of statistics and forecasting.

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