October 16, the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” launched the VІІ All-Ukrainian festival of innovative projects “Sikorsky Challenge 2018”.
The purpose of the festival is to create opportunities for schoolchildren, students, scholars and entrepreneurs to take part in research programs and design projects in order to further commercialize them, start ups and bring innovative products to national and international markets.
The festival is being held for the 8th time and became one of the most important annual events in the field of innovation of Ukraine. Therefore, there are always distinguished and interesting guests at its opening. This year's special guest was the Nobel Prize winner in the field of medicine and physiology in 2001, Sir Paul Nurs. And, of course, representatives of sponsoring companies and partners welcomed the participants.
Those, who take part in the festival for the first time, and its guests always wonder why its logo has a hat. The answer to this is simple: it's not just a hat, but a hat of the world-famous aircraft designer Igor Sikorskyi, a former student of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, whose name the festival was called after. According to legend, this hat was his mascot, so the organizers of the Festival are confident that it will bring good luck to its present followers.
Within the framework of the festival, the All-Ukrainian competition of startups «Sikorsky Challenge 2018» and the competition of scientific and technical creativity of schoolchildren «POLYTECO Ukraine 2018-2019» (National stage of the International competition of scientific and technical creativity of schoolchildren «Intel ISEF») are held. Young researchers from the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine take an active part. In general, the contestants presented more than 200 works on a variety of subjects to the festival.
Before the solemn ceremony of the official opening of the festival, its participants and guests had an opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibition of scientific projects of the participants of the competition “POLYTECO Ukraine 2018-2019”, which was opened in the main hall of the State Polytechnic Museum. At the same time, an exhibition-presentation “The Future of Ukraine” was presented at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in the hall of the Center for Culture and Arts, where the best innovations of the members of the Small Academy of Sciences were presented.
However, the Festival is not only a contests of the most interesting inventions and newest gadgets, but, last but not least, netvorking. So visit it to chat with interesting people, get acquainted with investors and business angels, and engage in coffee breaks with useful colleagues, scholars and journalists.
Acceptance of projects for the All-Ukrainian start-up competition “Sikorsky Challenge 2018”, which gave the name to the whole festival, began at the end of April. After the preliminary selection and training in the final 60 projects came out. They will be judged by an authoritative international jury. Authors of winning projects will have the opportunity to implement their developments in the environment of the Science Park “Kyivska Polytechnika” with the support of grant and venture funds. By the way, statistics show that from year to year the number of projects supported by investors or those that were marked by the members of the International Expert Jury grows: in 2012, the winners of the Startups Contest were 4 projects, the authors of which signed the relevant memoranda with potential investors and partners, in 2013 there were already 5 of such projects, in 2014 - 14, in 2015 - 29, in 2016 - 34, and in 2017 - 45!
In the final of the competition “POLYTECO Ukraine 2018-2019” (National stage of the International competition of scientific and technical creativity of students of Intel ISEF) there were almost 160 projects in six categories: “Mathematics”, “Physics and astronomy”, “Engineering”, “Power engineering”, “Chemistry” and “IT”. The geography of the participants is very broad: they came from 19 regions of Ukraine. Of course, there are Kyiv residents among those. The festival will identify super-finalists who will be able to improve their developments with scientists in laboratories of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Among the members of the scientific jury of the competition there are leading scientists and educators from the scientific and scientific-educational institutions of Ukraine. In defining winners, jury members will evaluate not only the scientific level of projects, but also presentation and communication skills of contestants, their ability to think logically, fluency in English, completeness of projects, since the best of the super-finalists in May 2019 will represent Ukraine at the World Finale of the “Intel ISEF” in Phoenix (USA, Arizona), in June 2019, at the Genius Olimpiad Competition in Oswego, USA, New York, and others.
The winners of the competitions will be announced at the Center for the Arts and Culture of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute during the closing ceremony of the festival on October 19 at 11-00.
VІІ Festival of innovative projects «Sikorsky Challenge 2018»
On October 16-20, 2018 the VІІ Festival of Innovation Projects “Sikorsky Challenge 2018” will be held on the basis of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”.
The Sikorsky Challenge Innovation Festival is one of the most important annual events in the field of innovation of Ukraine. It collects not only developers of projects in many fields of science and technology, but also representatives of large investment business.
The purpose of the festival is to identify the most interesting and topical projects in various fields of technology, and to provide the authors of the best with the promotion of the commercialization of their development, the creation of start-ups and the emergence of innovative products in the national and international markets. Participation in the festival can be taken by professionally recognized professionals and gray-haired professors, as well as students and pupils who choose their own way in life.
The following event will be held during the festival:
• Start-up competition;
• Competition of scientific-technological creativity of school students;
• Exhibition and competition «Future of Ukraine».Applications for participation shall be submitted to 31st of August 2018 on the web-site of the Competition
Author teams of the winning projects of the startup contest will be able to implement their projects in the environment of the Science Park “Kyivska Polytechnica” with the support of grant and venture funds.The winners of the competitions will be announced on the 19th of October.
