St Petersburg University and the Quantorium technopark network launch a technological project competition for schoolchildren
Applications will be accepted until 26 September 2021.
St Petersburg University and the Centre for the Development of Creativity and Scientific and Technological Initiatives for Children and Youth in St Petersburg — the largest technopark network in Russia ‘Quantorium’ of St Petersburg — have signed an agreement to hold a joint all-Russia competition Skill Up. It is a contest for projects designed by schoolchildren. The document was signed by Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Admissions of St Petersburg University Aleksandr Babich and Director of the Quantorium Valeriia Zotova.
The Agreement aims at: establishing a competition for innovative projects in a range of subjects (information technology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and geography); and strengthening cooperation between St Petersburg University and educational organisations that support gifted children from all over Russia. Based on an earlier agreement, St Petersburg University has been providing comprehensive assistance in career guidance and intellectual competitions organised by the children’s technopark since 2020. Academic staff and students of the University took part in a SmartCamp educational session held jointly with the educational centre ’Academy of talents’ and regularly participate in science slams and educational projects ‘Vnauke’ and ‘Startup Plus’ as experts and speakers. The University will also provide a site for the field practice for students from the GeoQuantum and AeroQuantum —a training facility of St Petersburg University in the village of Sablino, where students launch, control and pilot unmanned aerial vehicles, and perform aerial surveys. In the 2021/2022 academic year, the University and the Quantorium will host the second St Petersburg University Olympiad on technological entrepreneurship for schoolchildren.
The qualifying round of the nationwide competition Skill Up will begin on 7 September 2021. The regulations, rules of the competition rounds and the application form for participants will be published on the website of St Petersburg University. The competition is open to teams representing educational organisations that implement general and supplementary educational programmes. The finals will be held in the format of an autumn school: the teams which have demonstrated the best results in the qualifying round will: visit St Petersburg and take part in the competition of innovative developments and advanced software products; listen to lectures by leading specialists from St Petersburg University; and attend master classes delivered by leading employer companies, partners of Skill Up competition. Tuition and boarding are free for the participants of the competition.
The competition is held as part of the federal project ’Development of Scientific and Industrial Cooperation’ within the framework of the national project ’Science’.