Startup instead of a diploma
In 2019 students will be allowed to take the final qualifying work in the form of startups.
Universities are beginning to accept as a diploma student created startup. According to the draft of the state program “Digital economy”, the chance of all students of Russia will appear in 2019. Experts disagree about the impact of this innovation on the prospects of startups in Russia.
In Russia are beginning to encourage students to create startups from the time of the study: the qualification work at universities can be performed in the form of start-UPS in 2019. Such norm contains in the project of the “Digital economy”, which was prepared by the interagency working groups, and then consolidated in a single document the Ministry of communications. Already this year, several universities have begun to accept the diplomas in this form, among them the far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), St. Petersburg national research University of information technologies, mechanics and optics (University ITMO) and others.
According to head of the Department of new media and theory of communication faculty of journalism of Moscow state University Ivan Zasursky, journalism in the Soviet years was the so-called “protection of the creative degree” — later the opportunity was gone. Now we can talk about “back to basics”.
As explained Ivan Zassoursky, the process of protection of final qualifying work is standardized.
There is a minimum amount diploma, which must write to the student, is about 60-80 pages. Now we have to determine what the minimum volume will be for the creative diploma.
June 15 was held the defense of master’s final project on entrepreneurship at the faculty of technology management and innovation at the University ITMO.
— Among the projects is dominated by solutions from the aggregator hostels and hostels to service Internet sales of eco-products. There are “iron” projects — one of the teams graduates presented individual air-conditioning. Some projects are at the seed stage, others already in the phase of active sales, — said the head of the Department for project and innovation activity at the ITMO University, Academic Council member Nina Yanykina. — Our experience confirms that the preparation and defense of project startup in front of investors is a worthy tool for the development of competences, systemic thinking. You can business development and job creation.
At the University decided to count as a thesis by one of the students project. This graduate is not required to prepare a written job description of your startup. The project has become a resident of SKOLKOVO and self-raised investment in the amount of 10 million rubles.
— It is wrong to require a student’s written work on your project only for compliance with formal requirements, — said Vice-rector for development, University Dmitry Zemtsov.
According to Ministry of education and science, already existing legal acts “provide a flexible approach to the execution of final qualifying works”.
— There is also the ability to execute and protect final qualifying work representing the creation of student startup, — said the press service of the Ministry of education.
Managing partner Neurodata Lab (a startup that implements the interaction of fundamental science and technology business) George Pliev said that the state program of modernization and increase of competitiveness of Russian universities (the so-called “5/100”) is logically implied decision of this kind. This possibility fits into the current education development strategy, its translation into innovative rails.
— Format of national research universities and technology clusters involves the synthesis of breakthrough scientific research competences with entrepreneurial practice — I am sure George Pliev. — Students and graduates will be able at the earliest stages to bring their ideas to life, to present them to investors. This helps to build a culture of startup activities is a key factor in the development of a modern knowledge economy.
Director for project activities of the Institute of development Internet (IRI) Arseny Weltzin sure that this approach to education increases its emphasis on practice, the approximation of science and education to the needs of the market.
— This will entail not sharp, but a surge of scientific activity, useful for the digital economy, he concluded.
The Director of the Department of ecosystem projects of the Foundation for Internet development initiatives (Fria) Margarita Zobnina has noted that to instill a culture of it entrepreneurship in student years is the right idea. But the chosen way of its implementation, a startup instead of a thesis will not help seriously change the situation with it startups in the country for the better.
— Method “startup as a diploma” — it’s like an injection of anesthetic in an attempt to cure cancer. To student start-UPS is significantly more, you need to rebuild the whole educational system. In its current form, it teaches to reproduce the already known information, rather than to create new meanings, ideas and projects, — said Margarita Zobnina. In schools and universities are cultivated fear of mistakes, so most of the students or pupils are not at risk to engage in entrepreneurship.
Experts believe that to improve the quality of projects need hands-on courses on Internet business, prior protection of own “graduate” startups.
The project of the “Digital economy” already sent to the government, but according to the instruction of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev prior to July 1, will need to Refine it, then submit the project for consideration by the Council under the RF President on strategic development and priority projects, including the sources, mechanisms and funding for the program.