At the Moscow Student Entrepreneur Festival "Moscow Starting Point" ("Studfest-2025"), organized by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City of Moscow, projects created by employees and students of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI won. The final of the festival was held at VTB-Arina Stadium. The winners from among the 10 finalists were determined by a competent jury consisting of representatives of investment funds and high-tech companies.

The first place was awarded to the project "Radioisotope control devices for petrochemistry and metallurgy" (head – Arina Vakhnina). The development, commissioned by Severstal Corporation, is designed to monitor the serviceability of metallurgical equipment using gamma radiation and is designed to replace a similar German control system.

The second place was taken by the small innovative enterprise Star (headed by Evgeny Stepin), which develops plasma engines for small space satellites that allow satellites to maneuver in orbit. Currently, the engines created at MEPhI have already been installed on four spacecraft launched into low-Earth orbit, and after testing they can be launched into mass production.

Projects were supported by the Technological Accelerator of MEPhI and Rosatom.

Winners received cash prizes: 1st place – 1 million rubles, 2nd place – 700 thousand rubles

Recall that in 2024 at the Moscow Starting Point festival, the second place was taken by the project of MEPhI student Vladislav Kudinov "Moblen: an AI assistant for teachers"