From an idea to implementation: how RUDN University grant competitions help university scientists create new devices and technologies

“The strategic goal of the grant support system is to create and develop RUDN’s own human resources and scientific base for conducting research, including within the framework of external funding. The philosophy of the system is to ‘grow’ personnel from students to leading scientists,” said Andrei Melnikov, head of the Research Projects Management Office of The Center for Research Projects Grants, Research Programs and Projects Unit.

Project evaluation criteria

Currently, competitions are divided into categories (fundamental and applied) and scientific fields (natural sciences and social sciences and humanities).

This year, the number of applications submitted for competitions increased by 50% compared to 2024—from 36 to 53. The most active were representatives of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute of Innovative Engineering Technologies: each department submitted six applications. The Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Philology were also among the top three in terms of the number of applications.

As for the categories of grant support, 13 applications were submitted for the Competition for R&D by scientific teams led by young scientists (D-1), 21 applications for the Competition for R&D by scientific teams led by leading scientists (D-2), and 19 for the Competition for R&D by young scientists (R.1).

To begin with, all applications are checked for compliance with formal conditions that relate to minimum performance indicators, the percentage of planned financing, etc. Then the projects are sent to independent external experts. They evaluate the work according to seven criteria, including the relevance of the topic, the scientific novelty of the research, their theoretical and practical significance, as well as the compliance of the research level and expected results with the world level.

Each project must be aimed at solving specific tasks in one of the areas of the Russia’s Scientific and Technological Development Strategy. For example, the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics and Natural Sciences is a leader in the areas of “Transition to advanced digital, intelligent production technologies, robotic systems, new materials, and design methods...” and “Transition to personalized medicine, high-tech healthcare, and health-saving technologies.” Meanwhile, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences most often submits applications in the areas of “The ability of Russian society to respond effectively to major challenges, taking into account the interaction between humans and nature” and “Countering sociocultural threats,” according to Andrei Melnikov.

Funding for scientific projects has increased approximately 1.5–2 times over the past five years. This year, RUDN allocated 107 million rubles to support the winners of all competitions. The maximum grant amount for each competition is:

• D-1 — 6 million rubles;
• D.2 — 8 million rubles;
• R.1 — 3 million rubles.

Innovative development

The results of the latest competition are still pending. In the meantime, one of the winners of the previous competition, Kirill Zubarev, shared the details of his project with us. According to the scientist, his project involves conducting research in the field of construction, or more specifically, developing an innovative device for determining the thermal resistance of building envelopes.

“It took two years from the idea to a concrete project. The idea of modernizing the device first arose at a scientific conference, where experts discussed the problems of measuring heat transfer resistance. This was followed by a search for information, studying the literature, and meetings and discussions with people involved in the experimental determination of heat transfer resistance, including manufacturers. Two years ago, the concept for the work had already taken shape, and I decided to put together a team to implement it,” said Kirill Zubarev, project manager, leading researcher, and associate professor at RUDN University.

As the scientist noted, several approaches are currently used to determine the thermal resistance of building walls: calculations based on engineering formulas, mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments, and field studies. There are a number of similar devices developed by Russian and foreign manufacturers.

According to Kirill, in 2025, the grant funds were invested in a special high-performance computer with very high power and productivity. Scientists are now using it to perform calculations, select the geometry of the device, and try to detail the physics of the processes as much as possible. In 2026, the funds will be used to purchase materials, components, and sensors for the manufacture and testing of a prototype.