RVC | NTI Projects

The Digital RVC platform lists key NTI support measures. There are four of them: NTI Infrastructure, NTI Technological Breakthrough, NTI Spin-off and NTI Export. These measures include various types of support: from funding provided by the NTI Project Support Fund, which has been created by RVC, to help with finding customers. It is easy to apply: you have to register on the platform, log in to your account, choose a relevant support program and fill out a form.

«We receive applications and send them to RVC for express assessment, which doesn’t take longer than three days. Our experts carry out basic scoring, evaluating each project across 10 parameters, before sending the results back to the applicant. If the applicant disagrees with the assessment, he or she has three more days to provide feedback and additional information — in this case, the application is re-assessed by the experts. Previously, we didn’t have regulated deadlines for evaluating applications. Now, after we’ve introduced programs and express assessment, it takes no more than ten days from the moment of submitting the application to receiving the final assessment from RVC», — says Ilya Kurmyshev, Director for Businesses Growth Support, NTI Office. It is already at this stage, that the applicant can receive advice on the project’s positioning in terms of which NTI market it would be most suitable for.

NTI project
support in 2019

Open

10 parameters for express assessment of projects:

Technology.
the degree of innovation; how easy is it to use, copy and promote the technology

Uniqueness.
are there similar solutions available on the local and global markets

Technology maturity. evaluated on the technology maturity cycle (Gartner Hype Cycle)

Technological readiness. defining the TRL and MRL of the project

The team's experience. successful technology startups created by project initiators

Applicant (company). is it able to co-finance at least 50% of the project’s cost

Target market.
its volume, competitiveness and growth rates

Investment potential.
estimated revenue and capital intensity of the project

Benefit for NTI. what systemic benefit will the project provide for the initiative

10.

Social impact. project-related social risks and opportunities

If express assessment is successful, the project receives RVC approval and continues to the second stage. It consists of a preliminary technical assessment by the NTI Profile Working Group, which — in case of a positive result — is followed by a further evaluation by the Project Committee, which includes representatives of the NTI, RVC and other development institutions, and holds weekly meetings. The applicant presents the project, describing in detail his or her ideas, plans, deadlines; explaining how the project will fit into the NTI ecosystem, and why a particular support measure has been chosen. The Project Committee, having already reviewed the details and the Project Office’s assessment, can then reject the project, recommend revisions, or decide that the project is suitable for development and selection, and then — for consideration by the NTI Expert Council and the Interagency Working Group (IWG).

The IWG is the highest decision-making body within NTI, and it determines which projects receive support. Before making final decisions, members of the IWG scrutinize the projects that have passed all the previous stages and study the recommendations of RVC, the Project Committee, the Expert Council, and the working group, which specializes in the project’s target market.

What support programs are available via Digital RVC and how to choose the right one?

NTI Infrastructure

For whom?

Large high-tech companies with no experience in creating global businesses / Technology startups, research institutes and reputable teams with a strong set of competencies

For what?

Infrastructure projects helping the development of companies, which are targeting global markets. These could include, for example, test sites, centers for research, engineering and certification, or business accelerators for NTI end-to-end technologies

How much?

Up to 495 million rubles in contribution to the company’s authorized capital / of which 155 million rubles can be potentially provided in the form of a grant

NTI Technological Breakthrough

For whom?

Medium-sized high-tech companies with experience in global markets / Technology startups, research institutes and reputable teams with a strong set of competencies

For what?

The creation of working prototypes of breakthrough innovative products with unique characteristics, which surpass similar products available on the global markets

How much?

Up to 100 million rubles in contribution to the company’s authorized capital / up to 200 million rubles in grants – these can be combined to the maximum total amount of 300 million rubles

NTI Spin-off

For whom?

Large high-tech companies with no experience in creating global businesses / Large high-tech companies with experience in creating global businesses

For what?

New launches, which are based on technological developments

How much?

Up to 300 million rubles in contribution to the company’s authorized capital

NTI Export

For whom?

Large high-tech companies with no experience in creating global businesses / Medium-sized high-tech companies with experience in international markets

For what?

Final stages of development and launch of technological products onto the global markets (technological readiness level TRL 6+)

How much?

Up to 200 million rubles in contribution to the company’s authorized capital / up to 100 million rubles in grants — these can be combined to the maximum total amount of 300 million rubles

According to Natalia Erdem, Director of Project Management, NTI Office, the company’s ability to carry out its plans is evaluated at all stages: «First and foremost, we are evaluating the company’s relevant experience with regards to the idea that it came up with. If a group of scientists is confident that they will be able to launch their product onto international markets and gain 25% share, then our first question would be: „Who in your team has experience in launching products onto global markets?“. If there are no such people, then we assume that the team’s goal isn’t achievable. And often in such cases, the Project Committee makes recommendations, such as bringing in marketing specialists to join the team or attracting a technology partner with relevant experience in launching products onto the market».

A distinctive feature of NTI support measures is that many projects do not reach the selection stage, because they are able to get what they want earlier, says Natalia. The applicants and their projects are immediately immersed in the NTI ecosystem, because they start communicating with members of the working group specializing in their target market, and often find partners or customers among them. Each working group includes companies that are market leaders, representatives of relevant government departments and experts. At this stage, applicants start implementing their ideas in collaboration with other market players.

Those applicants, who have reached the selection stage and gained IWG’s approval, will continue onto the fourth stage, which is the most interesting and entails the implementation of their project in line with the previously drawn up plans. Each NTI project teams is assigned two personal managers — a Project Manager and a Finance Manager.

«The teams and their managers keep in touch on a daily basis. Teams often write and call their managers, asking for advice or sharing new information. Communication never stops and includes meetings, calls, and consultations. The teams may have all sorts of questions and requests, and we’re always there to help them by providing our own expertise or introducing them to potential investors, experts, representatives of relevant government departments» , — says Natalia. Managers help to keep projects on track, meet KPIs and, most importantly, to wisely spend the funding received as part of the NTI support measures. Each project team has to submit two monthly reports: on the work done and on their expenses.

There are two kinds of KPIs: intermediate and final. At the approval stage, NTI project teams commit to carry out their plans by a certain deadline (in three years, normally). A project is considered to have been completed when funding from the NTI fund is drawn out, and all KPIs are achieved. Then, of course, the project continues to live on independently — having «grown up» and become part of the ecosystem, it no longer needs financial support from the NTI. However, the Project Office continues to follow the performance of the applicant’s company as part of post-monitoring and assists in maintaining the results obtained during project implementation stages.