Digest of Russian programs to support IT startups # 2
In this issue of our digest, we continue to acquaint readers with a variety of Russian programs to support IT start-ups. Today, as in the first issue, we are discussing the topic of the connection between such support programs and university education. Unlike the first issue, today we will talk exclusively about business incubators, including regional ones.
Although adherents of the classical approach to education believe that it is necessary to devote as much time as possible directly to study during the period of study at university, representatives of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) last year noted a phenomenal growth of entrepreneurial projects among students and even high school students.
')
A significant part of our interviews in the current issue of the digest will be devoted to this topic - representatives of business incubators will express their opinion on this topic. And we will also talk about where to begin acquaintance with specific entrepreneurship support programs and whether it is worth “aiming” to participate in a particular program if you are not a university student, in which this program exists.
In this issue:
- Project business incubator MSTU. Baumana (Moscow)
- Business Incubator "Innovation" TSTU (Tambov)
- Interuniversity student business incubator "Friendship" TUSUR (Tomsk)
- Business incubator of technopark in the field of high technologies "IT Park" (Kazan)
- Business Incubator Technopark "West-Siberian Innovation Center" (Tyumen)
Business incubators
Project business incubator MSTU. Baumana supports student groups and individual entrepreneurs and provides them with technological, financial and other types of services (besides directly providing workplaces at the MSTU premises). The business incubator sets the competence of successful innovation managers as its main task. In addition, during 2014, the incubator team implemented the contract for MSTU. N.E. Bauman with the Government of Moscow on the establishment of the Center for the Development of Youth Entrepreneurship in the field of radio electronics.
The Innovatika Tambov Business Incubator provides consulting, legal, and marketing services to residents and provides premises for work. First of all, the incubator focuses on the development of scientific schools (in the areas of construction, architecture, thermal physics, automation, energy, engineering, biochemistry) and strengthening their ties with the market, attracts TSTU employees and local representatives of companies from high-tech industries to assist.
Tomsk business incubator "Friendship" is focused on supporting projects in IT and electronics. A separate building has been allocated to the business incubator, in which office space is provided to residents, as well as a range of services: from assistance in the commercialization of innovations to accounting and marketing support.
The business incubator of the Kazan IT Park Technopark is a business platform for the development of IT entrepreneurship. In addition to providing infrastructure, the incubator team helps startups to refine the product, attract investments, find partners and customers. Among the opportunities provided by the incubator, there is not only service and consulting services, but also support for the promotion of companies, including assistance in disseminating information about a startup and its product in the media and developing the company's corporate identity.
The business incubator of the Tyumen technopark "West-Siberian Innovation Center" provides state support for small and medium-sized businesses in the field of scientific, scientific and technical and innovation activities. Incubation of projects lasts 3 years, during which residents receive office space, consulting and accounting services, as well as assistance in finding investors and clients.
Our questions to program representatives:
1. How could you evaluate the participation of university students in the immediate activity of the incubator? Is there a possibility of participation for teams that are not directly connected with the university?
Viktor Malinin, Head of the Project Business Incubator, Moscow State Technical University; Bauman
Since our Project Business Incubator is funded by our university, the presence in the team of a student, graduate student or graduate of the last year of study is mandatory.
At the same time, according to the state contract, we are implementing a program of the Government of Moscow to support youth entrepreneurship. They introduced a more abbreviated training and counseling program than the one we have. According to the contract, within this program, residents of Moscow up to 35 years old are being trained. According to statistics, in the course of the program that we are implementing during 2014, about 50% of those trained were not “Bauman”.
At the same time, according to the state contract, we are implementing a program of the Government of Moscow to support youth entrepreneurship. They introduced a more abbreviated training and counseling program than the one we have. According to the contract, within this program, residents of Moscow up to 35 years old are being trained. According to statistics, in the course of the program that we are implementing during 2014, about 50% of those trained were not “Bauman”.
Mikhail Istomin, Director of Innovatika Business Incubator (TSTU, Tambov)
During the year we organize many events (mainly related to the expertise of projects), as well as trainings on the basics of business and team building, in which our children are actively involved. Actually, we were created for this.
Anton Titkov, Director of the Druzhba Business Incubator (TUSUR, Tomsk)
We have many students participating in projects of residents. There are teams that employ 5-7 students. There are projects fully founded and developed by students. It's great! But it is absolutely not necessary to be a student of TUSUR in order to come to us in the incubator. We are open to all. But by itself it turns out that 80% of the projects are TUSUR.
Lenar Khalikov, Head of the Business Incubator of the IT Park Technopark (Kazan)
The IT Park Business Incubator is not an internal division of any university, but an infrastructure center that is open to both IT innovators from any educational institution and independent teams. The mission of the Business Incubator is to stimulate total IT entrepreneurship. We provide an opportunity to successfully commercialize your business idea to everyone. For this you only need to pass the selection.
There is no age limit. The youngest resident at the time of the selection was 13 years old, and the oldest one is well over 40. Our goal is to help form young companies, bring their solutions to the market, and this has nothing to do with age or membership in any university. Potential investors, in the presence of an intelligent team and a worthwhile idea, often do not pay attention to such things.
There is no age limit. The youngest resident at the time of the selection was 13 years old, and the oldest one is well over 40. Our goal is to help form young companies, bring their solutions to the market, and this has nothing to do with age or membership in any university. Potential investors, in the presence of an intelligent team and a worthwhile idea, often do not pay attention to such things.
Andrey Vokhmintsev, Project Manager, West-Siberian Innovation Center (Tyumen)
Students, as well as graduate students and representatives of universities are employees of the resident business incubator companies. In addition, university students regularly take an active part in events organized by the Technopark's business incubator, such as: “Open Day”, Youth Innovation Week in the Tyumen Region, competitive programs in the framework of the Representative Office of the Foundation for Assistance to the Development of Small Enterprises in Science and Technology sphere (UMNIK, START) and many others. In addition, Technopark is the curator of the public organization "Club UMNIKOV of the Tyumen Region", uniting the winners of the Assistance Fund program.
A resident of a business incubator can become any small business entity (individual entrepreneur, legal entity) engaged in developments in the scientific and technical sphere without being tied to a specific educational institution or enterprise.
A resident of a business incubator can become any small business entity (individual entrepreneur, legal entity) engaged in developments in the scientific and technical sphere without being tied to a specific educational institution or enterprise.
2. What areas of activity do you support? Is there an intersection with the direction of training specialists in the university?
Viktor Malinin, Head of the Project Business Incubator, Moscow State Technical University; Bauman
We cannot support what we are not competent in. For MGTU them. N.E. Bauman “his own” can be called the following areas: engineering, instrument making, medical equipment, software, engineering technology. As a matter of fact, these are the themes of our projects in the business incubator. We have several examples when students developed a business on the basis of their course or diploma projects or did term and diploma projects on their business.
Mikhail Istomin, Director of Innovatika Business Incubator (TSTU, Tambov)
Since we are a university business incubator, we support the areas that are in our university. Historically, teams that are not affiliated with a higher education institution apply to the Tambov Regional Business Incubator.
Anton Titkov, Director of the Druzhba Business Incubator (TUSUR, Tomsk)
We are engaged in IT'shnyh and "hardware" projects, which completely intersects with the specialization of our university.
Lenar Khalikov, Head of the Business Incubator of the IT Park Technopark (Kazan)
We support projects in the field of new search and recognition systems; new development tools and testing; communication and navigation technologies; New ways to store, process and transfer data; new high-performance computing and data storage systems; information security technologies; cloud computing; processing and analyzing large data arrays; new man-machine interfaces. All these areas are directly related to such specialties as “applied informatics” or “software engineering”.
At the same time, one of the most important details in the project is the potential commercialization of a startup in the market. Since we do not provide direct investment to projects, in selecting new residents, we focus on experts who are invited from a number of venture funds and business angels. High-tech projects involving long-term investments or just public benefit are not interested in them. Such projects direct road to research institutes.
That is why more than half of the managers of start-up projects of the IT Park Business Incubator do not have specialized education. Yes, they have programming skills, but not at the level to create something fundamentally unique. Most of them have another talent - organizational, which allows them to unite the people necessary for the project implementation in one team.
At the same time, one of the most important details in the project is the potential commercialization of a startup in the market. Since we do not provide direct investment to projects, in selecting new residents, we focus on experts who are invited from a number of venture funds and business angels. High-tech projects involving long-term investments or just public benefit are not interested in them. Such projects direct road to research institutes.
That is why more than half of the managers of start-up projects of the IT Park Business Incubator do not have specialized education. Yes, they have programming skills, but not at the level to create something fundamentally unique. Most of them have another talent - organizational, which allows them to unite the people necessary for the project implementation in one team.
Andrey Vokhmintsev, Project Manager, West-Siberian Innovation Center (Tyumen)
Initially, the West Siberian Innovation Center specialized in projects in the field of extraction and processing of hydrocarbons. Subsequently, this narrow specialization was expanded by projects from other areas. Currently, the residents of the business incubator are companies involved in the development of projects in various fields: information technology, medicine, agriculture, construction, robotics, ecology, instrument engineering, and in some related areas. Technopark support can receive projects from any area designated by the President of the Russian Federation as a priority. Of course, many specialties of Tyumen universities prepare specialized specialists demanded by resident companies of a business incubator.
3. From which event or program is it better to start getting acquainted with your organization?
Mikhail Istomin, Director of Innovatika Business Incubator (TSTU, Tambov)
It all started with the program U.M.N.I.K. Then we began to actively participate (and sometimes organize on our base) in the events of the Zvorykinsky project - FADM "Rosmolodezh". We also go to various forums in other regions.
Anton Titkov, Director of the Druzhba Business Incubator (TUSUR, Tomsk)
We constantly hold various events: open lectures, hackathons, seminars, etc. Every week something happens. In addition, we have our own acceleration program, in which you definitely need to participate!
Lenar Khalikov, Head of the Business Incubator of the IT Park Technopark (Kazan)
We have many different alternatives: hackathons, master classes, Science slam events, Startup Sabantui expedition, Kazan Startup Week, quarterly selections in the Business Incubator. We are constantly looking for new contacts with young entrepreneurs in the field of information technology and are focused on creating an environment for the successful development of start-ups.
Andrey Vokhmintsev, Project Manager, West-Siberian Innovation Center (Tyumen)
Acquaintance with Technopark is best to start on the traditional "Open Doors Day". Many students of educational institutions familiarize themselves with the activities of the incubator and its residents as part of excursions for schoolchildren. If we talk about a startup, then it’s better to start with the program of the Fund “UMNIK”, which twice a year - in spring and autumn - selects the winners.
4. How do you feel about working on your own project while studying at the university? Is it possible to interact with graduates and involve them in your programs after graduation?
Mikhail Istomin, Director of Innovatika Business Incubator (TSTU, Tambov)
The guys involved in science and innovation, by definition, have their own project. Those who continue to work on the project after graduation either defend a thesis (the majority of them), or create (or participate in activities) a small innovative enterprise.
Anton Titkov, Director of the Druzhba Business Incubator (TUSUR, Tomsk)
We work only positively on working on our project while studying. After all, it's like in sports. The sooner you start and will constantly improve, the faster the skill will come, and you will do something really cool and working. Our graduates are active participants in the Tomsk IT cluster and participate in all our events as speakers, as well as mentors and investors.
Lenar Khalikov, Head of the Business Incubator of the IT Park Technopark (Kazan)
Working on your own startup while studying is a kind of interactive learning method. We are 100% convinced of this. It is in a startup that entrepreneurship skills are developed. Both university students and graduates are one of our target audiences. We successfully work with them and engage in the business environment.
So, in some universities and schools of Tatarstan, in the process of learning, the guys are trying to create startups. It is likely that the first time few people will be able to build a money-generating project. The main thing here is experience. There are examples when school and student teams started earning money in our business incubator with a third or fourth startup.
So, in some universities and schools of Tatarstan, in the process of learning, the guys are trying to create startups. It is likely that the first time few people will be able to build a money-generating project. The main thing here is experience. There are examples when school and student teams started earning money in our business incubator with a third or fourth startup.
Andrey Vokhmintsev, Project Manager, West-Siberian Innovation Center (Tyumen)
Work on a specific task at the university is an integral step in the preparation of a qualified specialist, but not all course and diploma projects can turn into a real business. The relevance of undergraduate / graduate work and the prospect of its commercialization at the initial stage are evaluated by university professors at scientific conferences.
The winners of the university events are sent to the Technopark to participate in the final selection of the program "UMNIK". The finalists receive a grant to develop their project, become members of the UMNIK Club, where they learn the basics of creating a business, after which many guys apply for Technopark's expert council and quite often become residents of a business incubator. In addition, the West Siberian Innovation Center maintains close cooperation with the university business incubators and technology parks, whose residents often "get registration" in the business incubator of the Tyumen Technopark.
The winners of the university events are sent to the Technopark to participate in the final selection of the program "UMNIK". The finalists receive a grant to develop their project, become members of the UMNIK Club, where they learn the basics of creating a business, after which many guys apply for Technopark's expert council and quite often become residents of a business incubator. In addition, the West Siberian Innovation Center maintains close cooperation with the university business incubators and technology parks, whose residents often "get registration" in the business incubator of the Tyumen Technopark.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/246645/
All Articles