CIG RnD LAB: Two Projects Won in the Second Season at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute

The team developing the production technology of fluorescent tiles received 400 000 UAH for the project’s development. Its founders are fifth-year students Karina Belogubkina, Natalia Regeda and Boris Karputin. Another fifth-year student, Pavel Sitnikov, received 100 000 UAH funding for his project of modernization of thermal power equipment.

2018–19 was the first season for Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute in CIG R&D Lab, an educational and scholarship program of Chernovetskyi Investment Group (CIG).

CIG provided scholarships and mentorship for to the participating teams. In the final, the teams with the best progresses receive funding for further development of their projects.

Evgenii Sokol, rector, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, PhD, and professor, comments, "There are no examples of cooperation in Ukraine similar to ours with CIG. We are taking the first step towards the implementation of a public–private partnership, according to which business is integrated into education. It gives students and scientists essential support and impulse to create innovations. The next important point is creating appropriate laws for the development of such partnership, which everybody can benefit from."

Twenty-four teams applied for participation in the season. Only five were admitted after competition pitches. Apart from the winners, other teams participated with a project of the drone to monitor the status of power lines, a project of application for smartphones “TourHack” with sightseeing tours around Kharkiv, and a project of energy-management battery system.

Volodymyr Kryvko, the managing partner of CIG, said, "Today, our program runs in two universities: Kharkiv Polytechnic University and Odesa Polytechnic University. It is interesting that, in Kharkiv, the projects are more connected with ‘offline’ technologies – for instance, such technologies as engineering and construction developments. Eventually, the projects were so well-developed and serious that we chose two winners, which is a rare exception".

The team developing production technology of luminescent tiles is planning to start mass production of its tiles, which looks like an ordinary cover but glows at night. This is how the students plan to improve the problems of dark and dangerous streets at night.

Karina Belogubkina says, "We are incredibly happy to win and be responsible for what we are doing. It is a step towards a good opportunity for us. We will improve our cities, inspired by the example of Singapore, which constantly implements technological developments in urbanism. In the future, we want to promote our project at international markets."

The project team for reconstruction and modernization of thermal power equipment has been engaged for two years in the development of technology that solves the problem of overheating of steam boilers. The product is ready, and funds are needed to establish the company, which will provide the necessary services for scalding the heating surfaces.

Pavel Sitnikov said about the program, "The program gave us opportunities for research during the development of the technology. We also got skills in patenting our development and launching our own company. CIG R&D Lab is a launch pad for self-realization."

CIG and Odessa Politechnic University have already started to accept the applications for the third season of CIG R&D Lab. Nikita Syromiatnikov, the winner of the second season in Odesa, received 500 000 UAH for the development of a virtual assistant Jarvis, which has already received interest from a Ukrainian air ticket booking system and a special-event ticket sales service.