Skoltech’s Translational Research and Innovation Program (click on image to enlarge)
Developing groundbreaking Hepatitis-C treatments. MRI scanners in which electromagnetic waves interact with biological tissues. Saving babies’ lives with contactless heart rate sensors. When it comes to scientific challenges, they usually do not come much bigger than that. Yet this list of ambitious research projects details only a few of the seven proof-of-concept proposals that won Skoltech’s Translational Research and Innovation Program for 2015/16 (see full winners’ list below).
This year, for the first time, the program was open exclusively to Skoltech faculty and researchers. A total of thirteen applications was submitted including projects in energy systems, new materials, social network tools, video conferencing, smart systems, healthcare and biomed.
“We witnessed a very inspiring competition between people and ideas”, said Dmitry Peblak, a manager with the Program, “many projects feature some promising technologies that could help Skoltech have a real impact both in Russia and globally. It was a challenge, but eventually we had to choose.”
The selection process consisted of several stages and spanned four months. One of its highlights was the 6th conference of the Program held on May 20 in Moscow. Russian and foreign experts, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, as well as Skoltech and Skolkovo Foundation staff evaluated the projects on criteria such as research data, technological and market risks, IP opportunities, the project team, and established connections with potential customers.
The seven winning teams will receive financial support for their proof of concept studies. They will also benefit from trainings and mentorship provided by the university’s Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO). Readers are welcome to follow the projects’ progress on a dedicated page at the Translational Research and Innovation Program’s web site, where you can also find information and announcements on upcoming events.
Full winners’ list of Skoltech’s Translational Research and Innovation Program (2015/16)
- Konstantin Severinov
Development of a personal genetic screening system
- Victor Kotelianski
Targeted delivery of modified RNAs to the liver – an alternative Hepatitis C therapeutics
- Athanasios Polymeridis
CompuLife: A simulation platform for modeling interactions of electromagnetic waves with biological tissue in next-generation MRI systems
- Artem Oganov
Low-k material design
- Dzmitry Tsetserukou
BabyFeel: Smart Baby Bed Platform with Contactless Heart Rate Sensing
- Alexander Ustinov
Development of a novel cooling technology for power inverters
- Victor Lempitsky
Learning-based Gaze Correction for Videoconferencing