On November 27, the Don State Technical University hosted the Forum of Technological and Innovative Entrepreneurship. In offline and online modes, the participants discussed strategies for promoting projects of various degrees of elaboration and prospects for the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Rostov region.

The Forum for Technological and Innovative Entrepreneurship: Best Practices and Development Directions is dedicated to supporting technology entrepreneurs in the region, new acceleration programs, interaction with technology brokers, as well as methods and practices for promoting projects in relation to technological and production readiness.

«Technological entrepreneurship is a strategically important area for the development of the Rostov region. In the region, within the framework of the implementation of the national project «Small and Medium Enterprises and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives», a powerful infrastructure and support system for startups has been created: a network of My Business centers and boiling points in several municipalities has been established, an Innovation Agency has been created, within which the Regional Center functions competencies, which provides soft loans at 1% per annum for business development. In addition, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to receive grants from the Innovation Promotion Fund, «stressed the Minister of Economic Development of the Rostov Region Maxim Papushenko.

At three sections and a plenary session, the forum participants learned how to successfully bring their developments from the idea stage to a working layout or industrial prototype, and acquired the skills of running a technology business.

«Small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs who implement start-ups in the areas of the digital economy, the national technology initiative, constitute and will form the backbone of the country’s economy," said Nina Yanykina, rector of ANO University NTI 20.35. «It is important and encouraging that such a large-scale event is being held in the Rostov region, dedicated specifically to technological entrepreneurship, not to its individual aspects, but to the system of its development in the region, which will allow the region to make a new contribution to the development of the country’s economy.»

The event experts were representatives of government, business and the university community.

«Entrepreneurship is the foundation for the development of the country and the region," said the rector of DSTU Besarion Meskhi. — Today, many aspiring entrepreneurs do not know how to correctly prioritize when starting a business, how to develop their ideas and startups, where to get support. Therefore, this forum is relevant. Here entrepreneurs can ask questions to experts, find out how to start building their own startup and start implementing their idea. »

According to the adviser to the governor of the region, Anton Alekseev, thanks to the close interaction of the university community and representatives of the authorities in the region, new institutional facilities are emerging, including the Southern Research and Education Center, which brings together universities, companies, factories and research centers.

«Technological and innovative entrepreneurship is a driving force that can change the world thanks to people who are involved in creating new added value, new infrastructure. For example, the Southern REC has been created in the region, which will be engaged in the development of breakthrough technological solutions in the field of smart agriculture. Now the center is taking part in the competitive selection of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for the provision of grants for the provision of state support from the federal budget within the framework of the national project «Science», and according to preliminary results, Southern REC is the third in the ranking of all Russian universities that have submitted applications, and this just one example of a systemic team of government, universities, business, public organizations, «said Anton Alekseev.