‘The purpose of participating in the innovation competition is to declare that we exist, that we are from Tatarstan’
The Investment and Venture Fund of Tatarstan called the projects a driving force for the region's technological potential development.
The Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan continues to host the defence of projects that have reached the finals of the republican Innovation of the Year competition. Last week, schoolchildren demonstrated their inventions, and on 25 November — technology companies. However, not every presented project can be called innovative, the jury complained. Read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Will the presented initiatives become drivers of Tatarstan's technological development?
Let us remind you that Innovation of the Year is a transformation of the already well-known competition Fifty Best Innovative Ideas for the Republic of Tatarstan. The difference is in the appearance of a new stage: face-to-face protection of projects. As the organisers explained earlier, without live communication with the participants, it is harder to delve into all the details of their initiatives.
“Today's projects are a driver for the development of the technological potential of the region. We see that all the participants approached the presentations with great professionalism and responsibility. Each project has its own unique strengths — whether it is an innovative idea, in-depth study of technology or a clear understanding of the market and the needs of the audience," said Marsel Kurbanov, the first deputy director of the Tatarstan Investment and Venture Fund.
Sergey Khantimerov, the head of the Kazan Institute of Physics and Technology of the Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, did not rate the protection of projects so positively.
“The impressions are mixed. There were definitely strong projects, some projects looked slightly weaker against the background of others. I would still like to hear more about some innovative solutions. They were present today, but, in my subjective assessment, this does not apply to all projects," he shared his opinion with Realnoe Vremya.
He spoke more sharply, summing up the results of the defence in front of the participants: “The competition is called Innovation of the Year, and I would like to hear about something innovative, and not that 'we did something five years ago and are moving somewhere'.
“The interesting projects presented at the competition will definitely remain in our field of vision”
As in other nominations, the range of topics chosen by the participants turned out to be extensive. Companies from Tatarstan showcased a range of innovations, including a well cluster development system, a mobile well repair unit, biodegradable plastic, and the RANKS system, which evaluates the investment attractiveness of stocks, leveraging AI in the process.
Intevo founder Natalia Kim demonstrated a digital platform for managing the production of ready-made food. The company entered the market at the end of last year, and today it has four clients: these are both small productions and large players, for example, Magnit. At the same time, Intevo is not cooperating with Tatarstan enterprises yet. But there is hope: negotiations are underway with two local industries.
“We hope to enter the CIS market, and move on in four or five years. For example, there is already a request from the United Arab Emirates, but we cannot go there because we need transfers, there are specifics," Natalia Kim said.
Dmitry Ivanov, CEO of Intelligent Video Analytics, presented the Invian project. Ivanov spoke about him as follows: “We analyse traffic flows using software that we put on street video cameras, analyse transport and use loading data to control traffic lights in real time. In addition, we are engaged in incident analysis.”
The company has already implemented projects in Perm, Krasnodar, Salekhard, and even reached Kamchatka. But in Tatarstan it is not so in demand.
“The main purpose of participating in the competition is simply to declare that we exist, that we are local, from Tatarstan. We would like to take an active part in various projects in the republic. Despite the fact that we are residents of Innopolis special economic zone, for five years only this year we have done at least something in Kazan," Dmitry Ivanov shared.
In 2024, the company installed its software for accident analysis at two intersections of the capital of Tatarstan. Answering the question of why their products are more needed outside of Kazan, Ivanov reflects: most likely, other solutions are already being replicated here and it is illogical to launch a new vendor. “I would like to take part in projects that are still being discussed in Almetyevsk, Nizhnekamsk, Yelabuga — in general, in large cities where there are no systems at all yet," he concluded.
The jury refused to praise or criticise specific participants: first, they should wait for the announcement of the results. The winners will be announced later at the boards of relevant ministries. However, no matter what points the companies have scored, they are ready to help them further, the organisers assure.
“The Innovation of the Year competition is not only an opportunity to declare yourself, but also the start of long-term cooperation with the foundation. We are carefully considering projects that have the potential to scale and can make a significant contribution to the economy of the region. This is especially important for technology companies, because we understand that innovative business requires not only financial support, but also expert support, participation in acceleration programmes, assistance in finding partners and investors. Therefore, the interesting projects presented at the competition will definitely remain in our field of vision, and we are ready to help their development and implementation," said Marsel Kurbanov.
Sergey Khantimerov agrees with him. He stressed that the participants have contacts with the jury, entrepreneurs can ask for advice or support at any time.