SPbU Start-up — 2025 announces a call for applications
St Petersburg University has announced a call for applications for the 10th annual contest of innovative projects "SPbU Start-up — 2025". The contest is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, clinical residency students and early career researchers from across Russia. Applications will be accepted until 1 December.
The winning teams will receive grants from the St Petersburg University Endowment Fund for their projects’ commercialisation in the amount of 1,500,000 and 1,000,000 roubles. The information about the finalists’ developments and business ideas will be published on the University’s portal: vdele.spbu.ru.
The priority areas selected for this year student innovative projects are: artificial intelligence; digital technologies; platform and enterprise software for business; biotechnologies; resource efficiency in energy sector; robotics and robotic systems; smart space technologies; new-generation propulsion and fuel systems; and others. The participants can also propose their own themes for the projects.
A distinct focus area of the Start-up SPbU — 2025 contest will be projects proposed to students and early career researchers by major Russian companies. These companies include: Tatneft; Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant; United Engine Corporation; and Rostec State Corporation.
From 28 October to 4 November, students and early career researchers can submit their applications for participation. From 4 November to 1 December, they can complete their participant questionnaires. The teams selected by the Expert Jury will advance to the second round, a correspondence round, which will conclude on 15 December.
Participants whose projects are selected to advance further will receive expert tutor support and have the opportunity to undertake training through a non-degree programme. In later stages of the competition, contestants will participate in pitching sessions and present their projects to potential clients and business partners.
Additionally, for the first time in the contest’s history, a business accelerator course will be organised for the contestants. The project refinement programme will be implemented at the St Petersburg University Business Incubator, where teams will work according to individual plans developed with personal tutors. Participants will receive business expert evaluations, guidance on securing investment, extensive support and advice from experienced colleagues, and opportunities to engage with investors and obtain assistance in securing project funding. The business accelerator course will run from 16 May to17 October.
In the previous season of the Start-up SPbU contest, the winning teams were Genomex, who presented a series of peptide carriers for treating uterine myoma, and Sanguis, focused on creating immediate haemostatic agents. Last year’s finalists included start-ups dedicated to developing software with artificial intelligence technology and a laboratory for mineral-technological machine vision systems.
The contest’s finalists continue to advance and promote their innovative products. The St Petersburg University team "Lingvera", which won in 2022, has developed a mobile application that helps foreigners and individuals with hearing difficulties to quickly find specialists in interpreting, written translation, and sign language interpreting. The project was recognised as one of the top 50 student start-ups in Russia by the Innovation Assistance Foundation. Currently, the Lingvera team is a participant and prize winner in the federal project "University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform".
Details about the Start-up SPbU — 2025 grant competition can be found here.
The winners in the SPbU Start-Up — 2021 contest — the Terroir Concept team — developed a geographical information software system that enables the selection of the most suitable vineyard site, taking into account the climate conditions and features of the grape varieties. Since winning the competition, they have carried out agricultural consulting services for wineries in the Crimea and Krasnodar Krai. In December 2022, the Terroir Concept team set up a joint small innovative enterprise with the participation of St Petersburg University.
In the summer of 2023, both start-ups were presented at the 12th Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Global 2023) in the United Arab Emirates.