On December 10, 2020, with the support of the Government of the Rostov Region, the final of the UMNIK program of the Innovation Promotion Fund in Rostov-on-Don will take place.

The UMNIK program is an opportunity for young innovators to implement their innovative project. Students, post-graduate students and young scientists aged 18 to 30 can take part in the competition. The main preference in the competition is given to commercially oriented scientific projects, the creators of which receive a grant of 500,000 rubles for a period of 2 years.

— During 2020, nine semi-final selections of innovative projects were held in the region in the cities of Rostov-on-Don, Novocherkassk, Shakhty, Zernograd, Taganrog and the village of Persianovsky. In total, 162 applications from the Rostov region and other regions were submitted for the competition, — explained the head of the Representative Office in the Rostov region of the Innovation Promotion Fund Anna Pushhenko.

The winners of the semi-finals underwent a mandatory procedure of impersonal examination in other regions, within the framework of which candidates and doctors of sciences in the relevant disciplines additionally assessed the scientific novelty of each project.

At the final stage, applications will be reviewed by qualified experts of the competition and evaluated from the point of view of innovation and the prospects for the commercialization of the result of research work.

Also, within the framework of the event, the financing of the winners of the UMNIK program in 2019 will be transferred to the second year.

In total, more than 45 experts: representatives of the executive authorities of the Rostov region, representatives of business and the scientific community will hear 82 reports in the final in six areas:

• H1. Digital technologies;
• H2. Medicine and technologies of health preservation;
• H3. New materials and chemical technologies;
• H4. New devices and intelligent manufacturing technologies;
• H5. Biotechnology;
• H6. Resource-saving energy.

Invited to participate in the event: Minister of Economic Development of the Rostov Region M. v. Papushenko, Director of the Rostov branch of PJSC Rostelecom S. A. Mordasov, curator of the UMNIK program group in Moscow, Yaroslavl Region, Southern Federal District and Far Eastern Federal District, Chief Specialist of the Support Department projects of the Fund for Assistance to Innovation T. M. Khalapsina, Head of the Representative Office in the Rostov Region of the Fund for Assistance to Innovation A. v. Pushhenko, Director of ANO «FIIRON» I. S. Shengof, representatives of the business community and executive authorities of the region.

An exposition of projects will be presented within the framework of the competition.

The final will be held in face-to-face distance format at the address: Rostov-on-Don, M. Nagibin Ave., 30.

For participation as a guest of the event, please call the Fund Representative Office in the Rostov Region: 8 961 293 46 95.

The organizing committee of the competition also invites media partners to participate.

Applications for accreditation are accepted by e-mail of the Foundation’s representative office in the Rostov region: rostov@fasie.ru. In the application, you must indicate the name of the media outlet, the full name of the journalist and his contact phone number.

Reference Information. The main goal of the UMNIK program is to identify young scientists striving for self-realization through innovative activities, and to stimulate the mass participation of young people in scientific, technical and innovative activities through organizational and financial support for innovative projects.

The UMNIK program assumes financing the development (up to the level of commercial application) of a scientific and technical idea for two years. The amount of funding is 500 thousand rubles over two years. Selection for the first and second years of participation in the program is carried out on a competitive basis.

Individuals from 18 to 30 years of age (as a rule, students, graduate students, young researchers), selected at accredited program events, can become program participants. From 1000 projects are selected annually across the country.

The number of prizes is not determined in advance and depends on the quality level of each work and the ability of the selection participant to present their project.