Igor Shelekhov from INRTU won Skolkovo grants for international patenting of carbon paste production technology

Igor Shelekhov from the INRTU won two grants from the Skolkovo Foundation for the total amount of 1.6 million rubles. The Polytechnic student will use the funds to patent the carbon paste production technology in the CIS countries, Europe and East Asia.

Igor Shelekhov, an associate professor of the Department of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, is the founder of a small innovative enterprise (SME) called "Industrial Technological Innovations". In 2021 the company became a resident of "Skolkovo". On the basis of the enterprise the technology of mass production of carbon paste was developed. Its main field of application is the creation of conductive and heating elements with a wide range of electrical resistances and increased specific power, stability, durability and reliability.

Igor Shelekhov emphasizes that the carbon paste is in demand among manufacturers of electrical appliances, including household and office equipment. The leaders in the electronics industry, and thus the main potential customers of the polytechnic are enterprises in Japan, China, and Korea. Today, the international demand for this product is estimated at $50 billion.

In order to patent the production technology abroad, one has to go through a number of complicated procedures, including the conclusion of a patent cooperation agreement (PCT), filing an international application for the national phase, etc. This requires the assistance of lawyers, translators, and patent attorneys. Financial support from Skolkovo will pay for the specialists' services. In December 2022 Igor Shelekhov received two micro grants from the fund.
The innovation project also involves future specialists in the field of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering. Postgraduate student Sergey Martynov develops heating elements and deals with general technological issues. Master's student Nikita Klementiev creates heating elements for the de-icing system, and Pavel Remnev is responsible for the preliminary design work.