Accelerator
A learning programme, practical tasks and feedback help teams develop an idea and prepare their project.
All-Russian Festival of Technology Projects by University and School Students
Festival and participant guide · 2026–2027
From an idea
to a working project
A free development programme and technology project competition for university and school teams.
24 April 2027Saint Petersburg, Russia
Co-organisers
What the festival isDeveloping projects.
Connecting people.
Beyond Ideas brings learning, competition and encounters with industry together in one season.
Accelerator
A learning programme, practical tasks and feedback help teams develop an idea and prepare their project.
Project competition
Teams present their technology, minimum viable product (MVP) and business model for expert review and selection.
Festival finale
Pitches, a project exhibition and expert discussions give teams a place to share their work and meet one another.
The current season is co-organised by HSE University — Saint Petersburg and Rostelecom. The 2025–2026 season ran under the HSE FEST name.
How participation is organisedCategories, technology fields
and awards
These describe different aspects of participation.
Two categories
University and school teams. Eligibility depends on the captain’s institutional status and the season’s rules.
Technology fields
The current application lists 20 fields, from BioTech to SmartCity. They describe the project’s field; they are not 20 separate prize categories.
Awards
In 2026, the competition awarded three places and partner special prizes. Thematic semi-final sessions were not separate awards categories.
The 2026 semi-final sessions covered medicine and quality of life; digital products and AI; engineering and industrial development; and agricultural, food and environmental technologies.
The completed 2025–2026 seasonThe seventh season:
projects and encounters
Teams came together at HSE University’s Kanatny Tsekh in Saint Petersburg on 28 April 2026.
493
applications
59
Russian cities
45
teams at the final event
Twelve projects reached the decisive competition round. The 45 teams refer to the wider final event.
2026 winnersThree winners.
Three technology challenges.
The completed season’s three top places went to university teams.
Electric motor for drones
Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg. A motor using complex-shaped, 3D-printed magnets and a perforated rotor.
Stellar Wave
RTU MIREA, Moscow. Heated clothing using carbon nanotubes.
Neotomograph
A joint HSE, Sechenov University and AK INNOVATSII team. Dental diagnostics combining 3D scanning with optical coherence tomography.
More projects from the seasonFrom training tools
to agricultural robotics
The festival brought together projects addressing very different needs.
SkillSnap
Komsomolsk-na-Amure State University. Turns software videos and instructions into interactive training simulations. Top 12 and a VK Advertising special award.
Anizo
ITMO University. Computer vision for monitoring animal behaviour, health and weight. A top-12 project.
D-Grape
Don State Technical University. An autonomous robot for disease detection and targeted spraying in vineyards. A top-12 project.
The accelerator within the festivalA programme for developing
the project
In February–March 2026, teams learned and developed their solutions ahead of the in-person finale.
From problem to MVP
Hypothesis testing, a value proposition, a business model and a minimum viable product.
From product to market
Marketing, finance, team management, legal issues and pitch preparation.
Working with feedback
Practical assignments, group and individual sessions, progress discussions and a demo day.
The ten highest-performing graduates advanced to the HSE FEST 2026 final event.
2025–2026 accelerator graduatesProjects that completed
the accelerator
Examples from the official list of the ten highest-performing graduates.
ESME AI
Construction monitoring using panoramic cameras, a digital twin and computer vision.
DanIIl
Building energy audits using a drone, thermal imaging and AI. The published description reports a TRL 4 prototype and planned pilots.
Smart glasses for people with hearing loss
Speech transcription displayed as text. The graduate list reports that a prototype had been built and tested.
Project stages are taken from the published descriptions; completing the programme does not itself establish a commercial outcome.
A team’s experienceFeedback on
the team’s own MVP
Non-invasive animal prostheses: an accelerator graduate and participant in the 2026 final event.
The project
Custom animal prostheses and orthoses, 3D-printed in polymer plastic.
The programme experience
Two months of assignments, online sessions and expert and mentor interaction, followed by an online defence and a place in the top ten.
The finale as a meeting pointShow the project.
Discuss the next step.
Competition is one part of a day of exchange with industry and other teams.
Pitches and exhibition
Teams demonstrated prototypes and explained how their solutions worked.
Mentoring sessions
Experts from Rostelecom’s X.Technologies digital cluster held 17 sessions at the 2026 final event.
AI and the market
A panel discussion brought together representatives of Sber, Yandex Cloud and Rostelecom.
2026–2027 · project fields20 technology fields
Choose the field that best describes your project.
BioTech
Biotechnology
BuildTech
Construction
CyberSecurity
Cybersecurity
Digital Industry
Digital technologies in industry
EduTech
Education
FashionTech
Fashion
FinTech
Financial technology
FoodTech
Food industry
GreenTech
Green technology
HR-Tech
Human resources
Industry Tech
Mining, metals and energy
LegalTech
Legal services
MarTech
Marketing technology
MedTech
Healthcare
PropTech
Real estate
RetailTech
Retail
SmartCity
Smart cities
TravelTech
Travel and tourism
Digital Content
Blogging and digital content
AgroTech
Agriculture
2026–2027 · two routesBring an idea to the accelerator.
Bring an MVP to the competition.
Both routes are free for teams.
Accelerator
Develop your project; an MVP is not required at entry. Apply by 11 January 2027. Programme: 18 January–31 March.
Competition
For projects with an MVP. Apply by 28 February 2027, followed by expert review, pitches and the in-person finale.
Teams may follow both routes if they meet the competition requirements by 28 February.
Who can take partA team of 1–4.
The captain determines the category.
Eligibility is based on a Russian educational institution, rather than citizenship.
School category
The captain studies at a Russian general education school.
University category
The captain studies or works at a Russian higher education institution.
Returning teams
A project that has already won or placed in this festival cannot be resubmitted. The team may enter a different project.
2027 acceleratorFrom a hypothesis
to a prepared project
18 January–31 March 2027. Apply by 11 January; the organising committee selects participants.
Test the problem
Clarify the user, their need and the value of the proposed solution.
Develop the solution
Work on the business model, prototype, validation evidence and next steps.
Prepare the pitch
Explain what the team has achieved and the evidence behind it. The ten highest-performing accelerator projects advance to the semi-final.
2027 competitionAn MVP makes the solution
verifiable
Competition applications close on 28 February 2027.
Technology
Show how the solution works and what makes it new.
Evidence
Provide test results, a demonstration or other evidence about the MVP.
Use case
Explain who will use the solution and which problem it addresses.
Project assessmentThree questions for every project
The official criteria connect technology, the business model and demand.
What is the innovation?
Technology or innovation: the solution’s novelty and supporting evidence.
How does the business work?
Business model: value creation, the customer and the economic logic.
Who needs it?
Evidence of demand: the need and the data supporting the team’s conclusions.
Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2. A company’s interest in a project is considered separately from the competition ranking.
The competition selection processFrom application to an in-person pitch
Selection proceeds through successive stages.
Expert review
1001–15 March 2027. Experts review projects and select the top 100.
Pitch selection
3516 March–7 April. Project pitches determine the top 35.
Semi-final and final
24.0424 April 2027. In-person project presentations in Saint Petersburg.
The ten highest-performing accelerator graduates and recognised regional winners have separate routes to the semi-final.
2026–2027 calendarTwo parallel routes
Dates for the new season; the 2026 results refer to the previous cycle.
1 November 2026
Applications open
Choose a route and prepare the application.
By 11 January 2027
Accelerator applications
An MVP is not required at entry.
18 January–31 March
Accelerator programme
Project development and pitch preparation.
By 28 February
Competition applications
An MVP is required.
1 March–7 April
Review and pitch selection
Top 100 → top 35.
24 April 2027
In-person semi-final and final
Saint Petersburg.
Application materialsWhat to prepare
before registering
Prepare the team details and materials that explain the project.
Team and project field
Team members, captain, category and technology field. The project description is limited to 200 characters.
Presentation and MVP
A PDF presentation or an accessible link, plus MVP materials for the competition application.
Consents
The required individual participant consents. Check that linked materials can be opened before submitting.
How to present the projectA clear story
backed by evidence
Use these six questions as a practical structure for the presentation.
Problem → solution
Who faces the problem? How does the technology address it?
MVP → validation
What has been built? What did testing and feedback show?
Market → team
Who is the user and customer? Why can this team take the next step?
This is a suggested narrative structure, not an additional formal competition requirement.
Show how the solution worksA demonstration
and the evidence behind it
Describe the project’s stage of development clearly and accurately.
Demonstrate
Show a prototype, a working scenario or a reproducible result.
Substantiate
Distinguish test results from hypotheses and future plans.
Identify the next step
Explain what still needs to be tested or developed.
2026–2027 prizesRUB 2,250,000
for university teams
The new season’s university prize fund. School-category prizes are noncash.
1st place
1 000 000roubles
2nd place
750 000roubles
3rd place
500 000roubles
Amounts are before personal income tax and mandatory deductions and are split equally among team members. School teams placing first, second or third receive noncash prizes determined by HSE University — Saint Petersburg.
The 2027 in-person eventMeet in Saint Petersburg
Semi-final and final of the 2026–2027 season.
24April 2027
Kanatny Tsekh, HSE University — Saint Petersburg
Present the project
Show the results and answer expert questions.
Meet other teams
Discuss solutions and share project experience.
At least one representative must attend in person on 24 April 2027. The captain presents; another member may do so only exceptionally, with organising-committee approval. No remote participation.
Next stepChoose a route.
Prepare your application.
The official festival website provides current conditions and registration.
Open registration ↗
Official registration page · Russian
11 January 2027 · accelerator
28 February 2027 · competition
Co-organisers