On May 6, 2026, an important meeting for young scientists was held in the conference hall of the Scientific and Educational Center of Dagestan State Medical University. Naida Abdullaeva, Director of the Scientific and Educational Center of DSMU, Associate Professor, and expert at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), held a practical master class for activists of the Student Scientific Society on preparing applications for the «UMNIK» competition of the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FSI).

The event was aimed at enhancing students’ competencies in scientific and technical entrepreneurship and the commercialization of research and development.

During the meeting, Naida Abdullaeva thoroughly analyzed the algorithm for successfully completing the competitive process. Particular attention was paid to three fundamental aspects that determine a project’s chances of winning:

Clarity of the idea: How to correctly present the essence of the development. Team presentation: The importance of applicant qualifications and potential for creating an innovative business.

Solutions: Justifying scientific and technical novelty and methods for achieving results.

Participants studied in detail the project evaluation criteria used by the Foundation’s experts. Naida Murtazalievna emphasized typical applicant errors and the structure of the application. Students learned how to correctly justify the relevance of the problem (a «market pain point»), describe scientific novelty («unlike existing systems…»), and provide specific technical parameters in comparison with similar systems.

During the interactive part of the event, participants received individual recommendations for refining their research ideas and answers to questions regarding patent protection, the research implementation plan, and the requirements for the final product.

The acquired skills will be an important step for the DSMU SSS activists in their professional development. The knowledge gained will help young researchers not only successfully participate in grant competitions such as «UMNIK» but also launch their own startups, attracting support from the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) to bring their scientific developments to the market.

As a reminder, the UMNIK competition supports youth innovation projects in the following areas: digital technologies, medicine and health-preserving technologies, new materials, instrumentation, biotechnology, and resource-saving energy.