National research university “Higher school of economics” (HSE) in partnership with RWM Capital Asset Management and corporate investment direction QIWI Venture holds the second stage of Open Contest of Innovation Projects – 2013 within the program Fund for Support of innovation enterprise of HSE.
The prime objective of the Contest is encouragement of the commercialization process of scientific research results and targeted support of composite authors of the most advanced innovative projects.
The Contest is held among startup companies and teams, comprising at least one student, one scientific worker, one teacher or one graduate of HSE.
On the part of HSE the Contest winners will receive:
• Financial grant in the amount from 150,000 up to 2,000,000 roubles;
• Professional Project Expertise;
• Consulting and Training Services required for the project development.
The list of Consulting and Training Services provided by HSE will be determined for each Contest winning project on an individual basis. The standard package of Services includes a marketing research and analysis of the market, generation of business development strategy, financial and business modeling.
Agreements for services and an agreement for cooperation, that provides an opportunity to establish small innovation enterprises with participation of HSE Innovations LLC (a representative of HSE), will be concluded with the Contest winning teams.
QIWI Venture is willing to invest up to 5,000,000 roubles into projects in the following areas:
Innovative projects in E-commerce and m-commerce;
Projects in the area of media and communications;
Projects creating virtual and augmented reality;
Projects in the area of big data management;
Cloud technologies.
Apart from financial support the winners will receive professional expertise, consulting and training services on project management.
An additional election of projects will be made by RWM Capital Asset Management within the Contest under the program of cooperation with higher education institutions. Financing on the part of RWM Capital Asset Management will be assigned to teams, implementing the following kinds of developments:
Easy Help 4 Your University services, which facilitate fundraising from graduates of the higher education institution;
Projects of game Be Better With University, earnings from which will be transferred to the endowment fund of the higher education institution.
The winners will receive a special grant from RWM Capital Asset Management for development of a business plan for the Project generation and implementation, the amount of which will constitute 200,000 roubles after tax.
The winners in RWM Capital Asset Management nominations will in addition receive a certificate for training on team leadership and a professional consultation on business plan development. Training services will be provided by experts from Higher School of Economics.
The Contest winners will be decided by October 31, 2013.
This year Contest committee included representatives from HSEs, RWM Capital Asset Management venture capital fund, QIWI Venture corporate investment direction, private venture capital investments and innovation infrastructure facilities.
The forthcoming selection of the projects was commented by the Head of Innovative Activities Department of HSE Anastasia Tyurina: “The Contest of the Fund for Support of Innovative Ventures is held for the fifth time. For three years we managed to support initiatives of more than 70 teams, the developers of innovative projects. We managed to significantly improve the system of projects selection, assessment criteria and engaged into the jury team not only representatives of the University, but businessmen and investors as well. We also learned the problems our developers encounter with and now we are gradually trying to find efficient and available solutions to assist the teams.
“This year our program was supported by two partners at once. For us it means that selection and raising of projects will be initially aimed at the future potential investor, willing to finance subsequent stages of the business growth. I am sure that it will produce its positive effect, add more responsibility to initiators of the projects. Moreover partnership with RWM Capital Asset Management and QIWI will allow the Higher School of Economics to strengthen its resources and advance competences for the University to join 100 world top-ranked research and educational centers in a long-term perspective.” “Within the scope of cooperation with the Higher School of Economics we are planning not only to select projects for investments, but we also hope that the expertise and training sessions developed for the Contest winners will allow the future businessmen to significantly improve quality of presentations and project development. In our opinion it is absolutely essential for the Russian venture capital market to provide startup authors through holding such events with consolidated and practical information, aimed at efficient implementation of their projects,” – comments Head of QIWI Venture, Sergey Ebich. “One of the largest higher education institutions of the country, the National Research University – Higher School of Economics, agreed to assist us in implementation of our idea to facilitate promotion of fundraising in education institutions, - says Sergey Orlov, CEO of RWM Capital Asset Management. – We, being in direct cooperation with the largest higher education institutions, know that the most part of education institutions, which have endowment funds, do not carry out any methodical work on fundraising. I am sure that present day young people will find freedom for creative ideas and self-fulfillment in such work. Send your ideas. Probably it is you who may put a new spin in endowment market development in general and in the fundraising system of your higher education institution in particular.”
You may send your applications for participation in the Contest from September 25 up to October 25, 2013 until 06:00 p.m. (Moscow time) to e-mail: nsuvorova@hse.ru, or by mail to: office 107, str. 1, d. 8, Pokrovskiy bulvar, 109028, Moscow, Innovative Activities Department of NRU HSE.
Detailed information about the Contest and carrying conditions – www.ineo.hse.ru/fip2013
Detailed information about the conditions of financing by RWM Capital Asset Management – www.rwmcapital-hse.ru
About Fund for Support of Innovative Ventures – www.hse.ru/fip
About Development program of NRU HSE – www.strategy.hse.ru
