Applicants for the VII Nanotechnology Russian Youth Prize　http://www.rusnano.com/infrastructure/rmp are invited to fill in their applications. This year’s event will offer more opportunities: now young innovators and entrepreneurs presenting scientific and technological solutions and inventions for nanoindustry can join the competition for the main nomination and for new special investment nominations set up by a network of RUSNANO nanocenters. Five short-listers will have an opportunity to present their solutions at the open pitch sessions to the general directors of RUSNANO nanotech centers.

As before, the main prize of 300 thousand rubles, an honorary diploma and a commemorative plaque will be awarded to the laureate chosen from the short-listers by RUSNANO Group’s executive board. Young innovators and entrepreneurs who can boast scientific and technological solutions and inventions for nanotechology which have been commercialized and yielded an annual turnover of at least 1.5 million rubles will be eligible to be nominated for the 2015 Prize.

However, this year for the first time, in addition to the main Prize nomination, the network of RUSNANO nanocenters has set up 3 special investment nominations: each winner in these nominations will be able to execute an investment agreement for 1 million rubles and to build a startup with one of RUSNANO Group’s nanocenters. Winners will be chosen from the 5 short-listers after presenting their projects at the open pitch sessions to the general directors of the RUSNANO nanotech centers on the first day of the IV Moscow International Forum for Innovative Development “Open Innovations”　http://forinnovations.ru/ to take place in Moscow from October 28 to November 1, 2015. The names of the Prize winner and the winners of the special nominations will be announced at the awards ceremony on the same day, October 28, 2015.

“Cooperation between the Prize organizers and RUSNANO nanocenters will open up new opportunities for participants in the competition. Our 12 nanocenters act today as Venture Builders offering unique competencies. In the first place, this includes knowledge of the market laws and experience in developing projects from an idea, an experimental technology to the stage of implementation and business-building - more than 350 startups have been established to date in the nanocenters,” said Anatoly Chubais, Chairman of the RUSNANO Board.

Solutions and projects nominated for the Prize should be in the following areas of technology: non-silicon electronics (including ‘green’, wearable, integrated), surface-integrated flexible photovoltaics, personalized and regenerative medicine, industrial biotech and clean tech, genomics, additive technologies, robotics (logistics), flexible contract manufacturing (engineering), composites, and new materials in construction.

To become a participant, fill out the nomination form and submit a set of application materials - read more about it in Russian Youth Prize　http://www.rusnano.com/infrastructure/rmp.