In 2025, 300 Russian universities participated in Alfa-Bank’s grant program. Each university was responsible for choosing its own winners according to their criteria. At ITMO, along with their application, educators had to submit a cover letter explaining their motivation to participate in the program and the way they will use the funding, as well as a portfolio in ISU, the university’s internal management system. Winners were selected based on their pedagogical and scientific achievements, participation in university activities, and student feedback. ITMO’s committee received a total of 45 applications.
Sergey Kolyubin, a professor at the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics, and associate professors Maksim Sergeev and Dmitry Sinev from the Institute of Laser Technologies won the internal competition.
Each winner received 250,000 rubles, with which they are planning to support ITMO laboratories, lecturers, and curators. Prof. Kolyubin will use the grant to create a new introductory course in robotics. Prof. Sergeev will invest his winnings into the development of optomechanical devices for student laboratories, while Prof. Sinev will distribute the funds between supporting his colleagues at the Laser Technologies School, materials for his courses, and online education.
Alfa-Bank’s grant program aims to support lecturers in higher education who demonstrate extraordinary achievements in pedagogical and academic activities. The competition is open to lecturers with at least a year of experience and a completed higher education degree.
The next grant program will open in April-May 2026, with the exact dates to be published on the official website closer to the event.
