Applications Now Open for the 2025 Student Startup Competition

The Russian government has announced the commencement of application submissions for the «Student Startup» competition. Applications can be submitted until May 20, 2025. Detailed information is available on the official website. Winners will receive a grant of 1 million rubles. In 2024, 2,000 students were awarded grants, and in 2025, the number of winners will increase to 2,500 individuals.

The competition has been running since 2022 and is part of the federal project «University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform.» The organizers are the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Innovation Assistance Fund. Since its inception, 18,000 students have participated, supporting 4,500 startups.

Eligible participants include students and graduate students who are developing projects based on their own scientific and technological research. The main requirement is that the project must have commercialization potential.

In 2025, postgraduate students and residents of scientific organizations will also be able to apply for the first time, as confirmed by the organizers.

Projects are accepted in seven areas:

— Digital technologies
— Medicine and health preservation technologies
— Chemical technologies and new materials
— New devices and smart manufacturing technologies
— Biotechnology
— Resource-saving energy
— Creative industries

Individuals can submit applications if they:

— Are enrolled in universities accredited by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science
— Do not have an active contract with the Fund
— Have not previously received a grant under the «Student Startup» program
— Are not recipients of grants, heads of recipient organizations, or scientific supervisors of projects.

The application must be completed in the Fund’s online system, where all necessary documents must also be uploaded.

For more information about the system and participation rules, please visit the Fund’s website. A link to the system will be sent via email upon completing a form on the website. The competition organizers promise to assist with reporting.

A project will receive 1 million rubles if it meets the following criteria:

— It is technology-driven
— It falls within one of the seven specified areas
— It has commercialization prospects
— The applicant possesses adequate qualifications

Documents required for the application include:

— A scanned copy of a certificate from the university confirming the student’s status (issued no earlier than three months before the start of the competition)
— A certificate from the university agreeing to the project’s implementation and confirming the absence of a conflict of interest
— For foreign citizens, a scanned copy of the arrival notification or residence permit along with the registration page

Chances of winning are higher if:

— The project theme aligns with the seven outlined priority areas
— The applicant participates in the «Startup as a Diploma» track
— The applicant has diplomas or certificates from entrepreneurship programs
— The applicant has a portfolio of completed projects
— The applicant has experience in the Youth Laboratory or Advanced Engineering School
— The applicant has previously participated in the «Umnik» program, successfully completed a project, and continues it in a new startup

The grant can be used for:

— Registering a legal entity
— Salaries for hired specialists
— Renting or purchasing equipment, software, and components
— Registering intellectual property rights.