Almost 20 students successfully defended their startup projects as part of their studies at the master program “Creation of Technological Startups” at Tomsk State University. The master program was opened at the TSU Institute of Economics and Management (IEM) as a pilot project to improve the new system of higher education. Two of the first graduates won the federal contest “Student Startup” of the Innovation Promotion Fund and received 1 million rubles for their projects. The projects of IEM master students also attracted the attention of potential investors, who were among the members of the State Examination Board.

Ten startup projects performed by 19 master students were presented for defense. The projects concern virtual travel and education, unmanned systems, technologies for the real estate market, people with special needs and pet owners. The authors of two projects, Nikolai Belyakov and Alexander Smirnov, have already received 1 million rubles each following the results of the Student Startup Competition.

Nikolai Belyakov is creating an online sign interpreter – an application that will simultaneously translate any video into a sign language. One of the project objectives is to develop modern Russian sign language and add new lexical structures and words to it.

The startup by Alexander Smirnov is a kind of “tinder” for animals. It is called Pet Project. The service is currently under development, but the project team has already decided that it will initially focus on finding a partner for pedigree cats.

– Lifelong learning is my philosophy of life. This even concerns things that I am good at. When we look at the same things from different perspectives, we all discover new learning challenges, explains Alexander Smirnov.

The experience in various fields has become one of the distinctive features of the new master program. For example, the representatives of Tomsk regional administration, Sberbank, large companies, startups, and individual entrepreneurs were among the first students of the program. Some master students presented joint startup projects. The geography of students was also quite diverse – from Tomsk to Moscow and Sochi.

– Evening lectures and hybrid classes allow students getting their degree regardless of their location. For instance, we have a group of students with only one person from Tomsk, and the rest live in the territory from Krasnodar to Yakutia, – says Maria German, head of the master program “Creation of Technological Startups”, professor of the Department of Strategic Management and Marketing at TSU Institute of Economics and Management.

Another advantage of the program is that it lasts less than a year and a half. The successful experience of the Institute showed that this is sufficient enough for entrepreneurial tracks.

– Sometimes people are full of ideas, and teachers only need to support and guide them. Here, students already have their business ideas or a project that they will later implement, or they choose from a large number of opportunities, join their classmates and work together in one team. For that reason if we make the training too long, let’s say lasting two or three years, the idea may simply lose its relevance, – adds Maria German.

The master program “Creation of Technological Startups” was launched at the Institute of Economics and Management as a pilot project to improve the new system of higher education according to the decree of the Russian President. The program addresses the market demands and ensures active involvement of potential employers in the study process. The enrollment procedure to the new master program is help without exams, but is based on the interview or the results of the TSU Master Olympiad. The graduates of the program become Technology Business Managers.