On October 22, 2018 for the 8th time, the Swiss-Russian Forum Foundation awarded the Suvorov Prize to the best Swiss-Russian innovative projects of 2018. The prize is given to Swiss and Russian entrepreneurial researchers whose projects submitted to the jury should meet the four basic criteria: scientific merit, social aspect, marketability and contribution to fostering collaboration between Switzerland and Russia. A special attention is always given to young researches.
The 8th Award Ceremony was carried out at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Ceremony assembled around 200 guests representing the scientific community of Moscow, political and government circles, business, as well as journalists. The participants of the Award Ceremony were welcomed by the Ambassador of Switzerland to Russia, Mr. Yves Rossier, who emphasized the role of research and human capital in the development of Switzerland and its economy. Being innovator № 1 in the world according to the Global Innovation Index, Switzerland heavily invests in its R&D – 3% of the GDP.
This year, the Suvorov Prize Jury received around 40 proposals of a very high quality and had a hard time selecting the laureates. As usual, there are only three nominees for the Prize. As a result of a tough competition, the following innovative projects became the winners:
"MELFON Surdo Surround" – first prize. A Project to Improve the Listening Satisfaction for Hearing Aid Users by Hearing Rehabilitation Center Ltd. (Project description: assisting people with hearing problems);
NanoLab by Danila Andreyevich Medvedev (Project description: IT, virtual reality and education - area of edutainment. With the help of Nanolab designer it is possible within 5 years to teach 100,000 students the profession of nano-engineer) – second prize;
SEFL (Single End Fault Locator) – “CH7000” by Streamer, Electric Company Inc.; (Project description: Fault Localization in Medium Voltage Distribution Networks) – third prize.
The Suvorov Prize is also supported by the Foundation for Assistance to Small and Innovative Enterprises/FASIE (Russia).
Next year, the Swiss-Russian Forum plans to launch another call for innovative projects to compete for the Suvorov Prize.
