PromTech 2.3 Start-up Competition at Khimia 2023

The Khimia 2023 conference programme summed up the results of the PromTech 2.3 Start-up Competition. The competition was initiated by the Russian Chemists Union, the VHZ.31 Innovation Holding, and the Mendeleev Accelerator. The key organisational partner of the competition is the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.  

The competition aims to create new opportunities for small innovative companies in the real sector of the economy, to unite private and institutional investors around promising industrial projects, and to attract the strongest scientific teams from universities and academic institutions to create new high-tech products.

The competition was launched in May 2023. In total, more than 300 applications were received for participation in the competition. Leading representatives of science and business took part in the expertise of the projects. More than 50 semi-finalists were selected based on the results of the project expertise. Sixteen projects were invited to the final.

The programme organisers analysed the teams' requests and divided the projects based on their priority interests. Half of the finalists – 8 projects – were mainly focused on attracting B2B partners. They received the opportunity to participate in the Khimia 2023 conference programme with a personal stand free of charge. The products of these companies can be seen in a special zone of the exhibition – Stratup Chem Zone.

For 8 more projects, the organisers identified investor attraction as a higher priority. Among the investors are such large companies as Tatneftekhiminvest-Holding AO, the New Industry Fund, Sberbank PAO, Homa, Gazpromneft PAO, Innohub of Rosatom, etc.

Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mikhail Yurin and President at the Russian Chemists Union Viktor Ivanov made welcoming speeches to the finalists.

The finalists of the competition made presentations of their projects, after which the interim results were summarised.

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO