November 17, the regional representation of the Fund for the Promotion of Innovation conducted the final selection of projects within the UMNIK Award (the project is being implemented with the support of the Omsky Biocluster's StartUpAcademia).
The Deputy Minister of Economy of Omsk region Denis Kushner, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Transport and Innovative Technologies of Omsk region Igor Lukyanov, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Omsk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch (member of Omsky Biocluster) Valery Karpov, expressed their greetings and wishes.
The curator of the UMNIK Program of the Fund for the Promotion of Innovation Anastasia Bestuzheva told the audience about the possibilities of the UMNIC and START Programs, summed up the results of the implementation of the Fund's programs in Russia, introduced the Fund's policy in the field of commercialization of the projects of the UMNIC Program.
The Regional Commission recommended 15 projects (out of 21) for funding, four projects were included in the reserve list. The winners of the program will receive a two-year grant of 500,000 rubles ($ 8,411.15) for the implementation of an innovative project.
Among the winners are students of Omsk State Agrarian University (member of Omsky Biocluster): Natalia Shlegel (Development of technology for fixing the spine in animals), Margarita Toropova (Development of a plant for bioactivation of drinking water with pH-8.4), Maria Ivanova (Development of 'Manyasha' EcoGrunt), Inna Tkach (Development of biotechnological approaches to the processing of plant raw materials for the production of competitive food products), Anna Khoroshavina (Development of biotechnology of functional spirulina-containing processed cheese product 'Arthro cheese').
Vitaly Aleshchenko, regional representative of the Foundation for the Promotion of Innovation:
- The event allows participants to learn how to view their developments not only in terms of technology, but also from the standpoint of value as a commercial product. Many participants present their projects not for the first year, we see how the quality of project development significantly improves. The jury evaluates the work on such criteria as the demand for a product on the market, an assessment of potential competitive advantages, an enthusiasm for the idea, the entrepreneurial potential of the applicant, an assessment of the interaction with the institution or company.
Final approval of the list of winners from Omsk region is expected before the end of this year.
