At the Entrepreneurial «Boiling Point» site of Stavropol State Agrarian University, the «Expert Pipe» event took place — a key stage in the interim assessment of technological solutions by participants in the university’s acceleration program «Mayak».

As part of the presentations, student teams presented 39 innovative projects across three main areas: agro‑ and biotechnologies, agroengineering, and digital solutions in the agro‑industrial complex. Each presented initiative is aimed at solving applied technological problems in the modern industry and creating in‑demand innovative products.

During the presentations, the participants demonstrated the interim results of their research work, defended the formed technological hypotheses, and presented detailed plans for the further development of the startups. The invited experts analyzed the degree of scientific and technical novelty of the solutions, their practical applicability in the context of real agricultural production, and their potential for commercialization. Based on the results of the presentations, the project teams received substantive recommendations for improving the products and adjusting the business models, which will serve as the foundation for moving to the second stage of the accelerator.

The «Mayak» acceleration program is being implemented at Stavropol State Agrarian University with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the National Technology Initiative Platform as part of the federal project «Technologies». The project aims to develop students’ skills in technological design, commercialization of scientific developments, and building interaction with industrial customers.

«The development of youth technological entrepreneurship is one of the priorities of modern agricultural education.» The expert panel format allows student teams to view their developments through the eyes of practitioners in the real sector of the economy, test project hypotheses, and adjust the product development trajectory taking into account market demands. For StSAU, it is fundamentally important that student ideas do not remain confined to laboratories and classrooms but develop into viable technological solutions for the domestic agro‑industrial complex. Expert support helps students strengthen their positions and prepare high‑quality projects for market entry, ” said StSAU Rector Vladimir Sitnikov.

The Stavropol State Agrarian University will continue to systematically develop the innovation ecosystem, support students’ startup initiatives, and promote the advancement of youth scientific and technological developments. Successfully passing the interim review brings the projects of the accelerator «Mayak» participants closer to the stage of creating ready prototypes and implementing them in production.