Governor of Irkutsk Region Honors 17 INRTU Students at Baikal Ecological Congress 2026
At the Baikal International Ecological Congress (BIEC), 33 student winners of Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises programs received awards from the Governor of the Irkutsk Region. Over a half of them are INRTU students who received grants of 500,000 to 1 million rubles in the “Student Startup” and “UMNIK” competitions. The awards ceremony took place on September 24, the opening day of the forum.
Students gathered at the youth section of the congress, held at the SibExpoCenter, Irkutsk’s main exhibition complex. They presented their knowledge-intensive projects at a stand exhibition to the regional government and potential investors. After visiting the exhibition, Alexander Anchugin, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Irkutsk Region, presented the innovators with the governor’s awards.
According to Alexander Anchugin, the Irkutsk Region put real effort into drawing more than 220 applications to the competitions. As a result, 33 authors won grant support – one and a half times more than last year. He also noted that every project has strong investment potential, as all of them passed federal selection. He also highlighted how interdisciplinary the initiatives are. He finds it especially interesting when a future IT specialist speaks about using their developments in medicine or biology, while an engineer speaks about digital solutions in a particular field.
“Your projects are more than just the results of scientific research. They are a real contribution to the development of the Irkutsk Region. The winning students are true trailblazers, and future generations will follow in their footsteps. I would particularly like to give special recognition to the academic staff at our universities. Without your mentorship, none of these results would have been achievable. My sincere thanks also go to the Council of Rectors, the university administrations, and everyone who helped students and research teams prepare and submit their grant applications,” Alexander Anchugin was quoted as saying on the regional government website.
Daria Domborovskaya, Deputy Head of the Youth Policy Department at INRTU, pointed out that last summer 12 INRTU students earned 1 million rubles each by winning the “Student Startup” competition, while five others received 500,000-ruble grants in the “UMNIK” competition. Both groups can put the money toward research and technology ventures.
“Around 90 applications came from INRTU, and we are pleased that so many turned out to be winners. The projects are very diverse, covering everything from health and jewelry to oil refining,” said Daria Dombrovskaya.
During the ceremony, the best authors were invited to give public presentations, and audience choice prizes were awarded. Lilia Vasilyeva from the School of Subsurface Resource Management received a gift on behalf of investors and the government of the Irkutsk Region. She had previously won 1 million rubles to develop a domestic alternative to imported reagents that will allow more lithium to be extracted from ore. Her development will make it more efficient to process raw materials for batteries, electric vehicles and other high-tech products.
Future IT specialist Anastasia Gegel presented a self-monitoring app for people with diabetes. The app automates calculations of insulin, calories and macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and glycated hemoglobin. Built for Android, it can work even with an unstable internet connection. The startup is currently at the pre-seed stage.
A young “millionaire” is Olga Kostenko, a master’s student at the Baikal School of BRICS. She will spend her grant on opening a workshop for making jewelry from recycled aluminum cans. Olga is currently processing documents to open her company. She is also preparing to purchase equipment — melting furnaces, crucibles and machine tools.
“At INRTU I trained as a jeweler, and now I am studying ‘green technologies’ at the Baikal School of BRICS. By the way, as a master’s student, I could have gone to China under a dual degree program. After winning the grant, I decided to stay home and develop my own business. I am glad I received financial support. After opening the workshop, I plan to cooperate with departments that train metallurgists and jewelers. According to calculations, the investment will pay off in two years. I am already fulfilling my first orders through a partner organization,” Olga shares her plans.
The ecological congress is being held from September 24 to 28 in Irkutsk and Baikalsk. The forum is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Lake Baikal’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. INRTU is one of the key participants in the event. INRTU representatives took part in the green technology exhibition and in panel sessions on digitalization of ecology and preservation of natural heritage. Cooperation agreements between the university and industrial partners and the regional government were also signed at the forum.
Photos by Mila Milostivaya and Daria Dombrovskaya
