The main goal of the "SMART GUY" program is to identify young scientists who are striving to self–actualize through innovative activities, to stimulate mass participation of young people in scientific, technical and innovative activities.

In 2018, 134 innovators from the Rostov region took part in the semifinal selections of innovative projects. The winners of the semifinals underwent a mandatory depersonalized examination procedure in other regions, in which candidates and doctors of sciences in the relevant disciplines additionally assessed the scientific novelty of each project. As a result, 62 authors of projects were identified – young scientists from eight educational institutions who became finalists.

Welcoming the participants of the final and the experts of the competition, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Rostov Region E.S. Doroshenko noted: "The SMART GUY program has been implemented in the Rostov region for several years and allows you to find young scientists, innovators who implement their developments in practice, receiving grant support for this. The contest is very popular in our country: this year it had more than a thousand participants, 130 of them from the Rostov region. Everyone who has gathered in this hall today is already a winner. I wish you courage, creativity, good luck and fruitful work!"

The regional representative of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives in the Southern Federal District, R.E. Kudaev, expressed confidence that the work carried out within the framework of the UMNIK competition brings real significant results, and wished the finalists of the competition to develop their business ideas to the size of a big deal.

The head of the representative office of the Foundation for the Promotion of Innovations in the Rostov Region, A.V. Pushenko, read out a greeting from the Director General of the Foundation for the Promotion of Innovations, S.G. Polyakov, addressed to the finalists, in which, in particular, it was said: "Every year, within the framework of cooperation with the Rostov Region, the Foundation supports the establishment and development of new enterprises in the region. And today experts will have to choose the most worthy innovative projects. I wish today's finalists that this first grant in the amount of 500 thousand rubles for a young scientist-inventor will be the first step towards the formation of successful Russian innovative companies."

It is worth noting that the "SMART GUY" program involves payments for the development of a promising scientific and technical idea with a funding volume of 500 thousand rubles for a period of two years.

The final of the "Smart Guy" was held in several areas: digital technologies, medicine and health-saving technologies, new materials and chemical technologies, new devices and intelligent production technologies, biotechnologies, resource-saving energy.

The projects were reviewed by qualified experts of the competition and evaluated from the point of view of innovation and prospects for commercialization of the result of research work.

In addition, an exposition of projects from 22 finalists was presented as part of the competition.

The South Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI) named after M.I. Platov is represented by 11 participants in the final. In the direction of "Digital technologies" - Ilya Yurievich Lebedinsky "Development of an effective vibration protection system for the cabin of modern domestic grain and forage harvesters by the method of synthesis of vibration supports with specified optimized characteristics". In the direction of "Medicine and health-saving technologies" - Stanislav Andreevich Gladkikh "Development of a portable device for non-invasive diagnostics of human internal organs" and Artem I. Kucher "Development of a hardware and software complex for evaluating perfusion of chest cavity tissues based on electrical impedance tomography". In the direction of "New materials and chemical technologies" - Sergey Anatolyevich Shchukin "Development and research of highly effective technology of purification of groundwater from hydrogen sulfide for household and drinking and technical purposes", Ruslan Vasilyevich Israilov "Development of technology of deodorization of drinking water with sorbents based on activated carbon" and Ivan Nikolaevich Zubkov "Development of technology of synthetic motor oils from natural gas". In the direction of "New devices and intelligent production technologies" - Alexander Sergeevich Babichev "Development of a digital automated insulation control system for a group of electric motors with a voltage higher than 1 kV", Tatiana Viktorovna Ivankova "Development of a device and technology for selective water intake from reservoirs and rivers to supply high-quality water to treatment facilities (using the example of the Southern Federal District)", Eduard Evgenievich Blokhin "Development of a highly effective industrial labeling technique, cutting and engraving of metal coatings based on additive laser technologies" and Andrey Sergeevich Kramarov "Development of a linear electric generator for a power plant based on an internal combustion engine with a free piston". In the direction of "Resource-saving energy" - Artem Nikolaevich Shchurov "Development of a mobile installation for testing high-voltage insulation based on "cross-linked" polyethylene".

Among the innovative projects of young scientists of our university there are applicants for the transition to the second stage of financing under the "SMART GUY" program in 2017, as well as those that were announced for the first time.

The final results of the final will be announced in February 2019.

We wish Novocherkassk polytechnics a friendly victory!