Startups might soon help Russian students get their diplomas

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev thinks that founding a startup company should count as coursework towards earning qualifications.

Mr Medvedev made the proposal yesterday following a meeting of the presidium of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects in Kazan, after which the text of the decree was published on the official website of the Russian government. The prime minister requested that a draft “road map” on how to support technological entrepreneurship in universities be published by the autumn.

In addition, Mr Medvedev charged the relevant ministries and organisations — the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Expert Council of the Government of Russia, the Innovation Support Fund, the Russian Venture Company and business associations — with developing a project on possible alternative finance mechanisms (e.g. crowdfunding) and tools for investing in innovative companies.

Who knows, maybe this project will help uncover the next Telegram — one of Russia’s most well-known tech startups.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)