The results of the 2nd republican competition "Innovation of the Year – 2025" have been summed up in Tatarstan. The competition is organized by the Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan (IVF RT), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. By decision of the organizing committee, 25 winners were approved in the categories "Perspective," "Student Startup," "Technology Company," "Corporate Innovation," and "Intellectual Property."

The competition aims to support scientific and technological projects and ready-made solutions with the potential for implementation in the region's economy. In 2025, participants presented developments in the fields of new materials, mechanical engineering, IT, medicine, biotechnology, industry, and the agricultural sector.

"The 'Innovation of the Year' competition shows how the community of engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs who create world-class solutions and are already ready to enter the market is growing in the republic," noted Damir Galiev, Director of IVF RT. According to him, the fund's key task is not only to financially support the winners but also to help them chart a path from the laboratory and prototype to pilot projects with corporations and entry into new markets.

In the "Perspective" category, projects by schoolchildren and young researchers demonstrating high potential for further development were recognized.

The winners were: Gleb Alekseevich Smorodinov ("Binoform"), Vladimir Nikolaevich Bayron ("AgroBioPlast: Eco-friendly bioplastic"), Alisa Vadimovna Loginova and Malika Maratovna Shigapova (project for obtaining complexes of hyperbranched polyetheropolyamide), Azaliya Renatovna Kazargeldinova (automated quantum chemical modeling using machine learning methods), Yaroslav Sergeevich Blinkov ("Budget SOC").

These developments cover areas from eco-friendly materials and new polymers to IT security solutions and the application of machine learning methods, forming a personnel and technological foundation for the future economy of the region.

In the "Student Startup" category, projects were presented where students are already building their first business models and technological products. The winners were: Kerim Kazbekovich Nagiev (technology for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on intranasal administration of microvesicles), Jamshed Khurshidovich Pulotov (SuperConducting Spin Technologies, SCST), Artyom Mikhailovich Yurikov (autonomous vessel for cleaning water surfaces), Rezeda Ramilovna Shigapova (adeno-associated viruses for targeted optogenetic stimulation of neuroplasticity), Ruslan Nailevich Talibullin (device for cleaning drilling mud).

Student teams combine in-depth scientific research with a practical focus on the markets of medicine, ecology, high technologies, and the oil and gas sector.

In the "Technology Company" category, operating businesses creating and implementing new products and technologies were recognized. The winners were: Elena Alexandrovna Kogan ("Roza Tsvetov"), Lenar Rishatovich Gilyazov (three-coordinate digital seismometer), Sergey Viktorovich Nesterov (chemically resistant UPP 825ESM), Yulia Konstantinovna Fukina (educational complex "Just Space"), Anastasia Alexandrovna Golovanova (impregnated fiberglass-reinforced tape).

The projects of technology companies aim to improve the efficiency of industrial production, develop instrument engineering, and create modern educational solutions, strengthening the technological competitiveness of the Republic of Tatarstan.

In the "Corporate Innovation" category, large companies consistently building work with innovative solutions and joint projects with developers and startups were awarded. The winners were: GC "Mirriko," PJSC "Tattelecom," LLC "BS-Platform" (TAGRAS Holding), LLC "TNG-Group," PJSC "Tatneft" named after V.D. Shashin.

"When schoolchildren, students, scientists, and the largest companies of Tatarstan participate on equal footing in a competition, it means that a living ecosystem has been formed in the republic, where innovation becomes the norm for all levels – from the school laboratory to production sites," emphasized Rifkat Minnikhanov, President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.

In the "Intellectual Property" category, authors of technologies and inventions, already formalized as intellectual property objects and ready for practical application, were recognized. The winners were: Evgenia Yuryevna Tarasova (antimicrobial agent with wound-healing effect for treating diseases of the limbs in cattle), Ildar Nailevich Nurmeev (method for laser removal of pyogenic granuloma), Zukhra Ravkatovna Gabdrakhmanova (method for manufacturing a centrifugal compressor impeller from austenitic-martensitic steel), Shamil Shakuryanovich Biktimerov (screw oil-flooded compressor with a slide valve capacity regulator), Nafis Anasovich Nazimov (method for stimulating the oil production process).

These projects demonstrate how scientific and engineering solutions transform into patentable technologies capable of improving the efficiency and safety of processes in industry, energy, and agriculture.

Winners of the competition receive financial support and project accompaniment, including further presentation of their developments at key regional and federal platforms, such as the Russian Venture Forum. In 2026, the competition will continue to strengthen the "science-business-government" link and expand the participation of schoolchildren, students, tech entrepreneurs, and corporations in the innovative development of the Republic of Tatarstan.