Math AI Tutor Named Education Innovation of the Year
On November 23, 2024, the final round of the Innovations in Education Contest took place, marking the 11th season of the initiative that unites innovators in education. The competition is organised by HSE University and Alfa-Bank. This year’s event was the largest in its history, with over 1,000 applications from more than 3,000 participants across all federal districts of Russia. The final showcased 12 innovative projects, with winners receiving awards, including the grand prize of 1 million roubles.
Semi-finals and Introduction to HSE University
Participants of the contest ranged from teachers, methodologists, students, and tutors to entrepreneurs and leaders of EdTech start-ups. The youngest participant was just 13 years old, while the oldest was 80. The contest spanned 40 regions and included representatives from more than 100 universities, reflecting the growing interest in educational innovation.
The finalists were selected on November 21 during the semi-finals held at HSE University. That day, participants were also given a tour of key innovation hubs in Moscow. The tour began at HSE’s campus on Pokrovsky Bulvar, led by Ekaterina Nedelyaeva, Director of the HSE Cultural Heritage Centre. Participants explored the historic Durasov House, a federally protected cultural heritage site built in the late 18th century. The tour continued to HSE’s modern three-story library, where each floor serves a distinct purpose: events, individual work, and collaborative activities.
Finals and Awards
The finals of the Innovations in Education Contest were held on November 23 at Alfa-Bank’s venue. The concluding stage featured 12 projects in areas such as entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and education. This year’s contest was supported by partners such as Prosveshcheniye Publishing House, Yandex Practicum, the Skolkovo Innovation Centre, and others.
The winner of EIC 2024 was the Deeplit project, which claimed the grand prize of 1 million roubles. This virtual AI-powered tutor is designed to help 8th–11th grade students prepare for mathematics exams (such as the Unified State Exam, Basic State Exam, and others). The project’s leader, Artur Babkin, shared his enthusiasm for innovation: ‘The word “innovation” resonated with me as early as 10th grade. This is my first major project in this field, and I have been working so actively on it. I intend to continue working on innovations and integrating them even further.’
The winners of special nominations from Alfa-Bank were the projects ‘Financial Games Championship for Schoolchildren’, Paragraph Secrets (an AI-based learning assistant), and FoodSovet (a game aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills and food literacy). Alfa-Bank allocated 500,000 roubles to each of these projects for further development. These initiatives align with Alfa-Bank’s core values of technological innovation, productivity, and responsible resource use.
This year, the competition included 14 partner nominations, with prizes such as mentoring sessions, sets of professional literature, access to educational courses and services, and participation in joint events aimed at promoting projects. In the nomination from Prosveshcheniye Publishing House, the educational project Bioethics for Children was the winner. The Department of Education and Science of Moscow selected the projects Deeplit and Learning with Legends. The nomination from Yandex Practicum was awarded to the project Paragraph Secrets, while Skolkovo and the Academy of Innovators recognised the project Varwin. The nomination from Netology was awarded to the quest game Biomedtechoshnaya, and Altshu University selected the projects FoodSovet and Creative Career Guidance. In the nomination from Altairika, the virtual financial simulator Fin App and Deeplit were the winners. The company Robbo awarded the projects Biomedtechoshnaya, Fin App, and Varwin. Tyumen State University chose the project Deeplit, while Proimpact recognised Film Directory. The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) highlighted Paragraph Secrets and Film Directory, and the Ultimate Education holding awarded the project Creative Career Guidance.
Diana Koroleva, Director of the Innovations in Education Contest and Academic Supervisor of the HSE Laboratory for Educational Innovation Research
‘This year marks the 11th edition of the Innovations in Education Contest. It is a contest with traditions, the key one being the diversity of partners from various educational fields and levels. These partners bring their expertise and professional judgment to identify fresh, original, and practical solutions. Their unique perspectives help uncover ideas that can transform the educational landscape and significantly contribute to its development.’
Discussion on Innovations
During the award ceremony, a plenary discussion titled ‘The Culture of Producing Innovations’ was held. The panel featured Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Marat Ismagulov, HR Director and Board Member of Alfa-Bank; Dmitry Zemtsov, HSE Vice Rector; and Ekaterina Morozova, Director of the Skolkovo Open University. The speakers addressed challenges in the interaction between universities, businesses, and the government, discussed fostering an innovation culture within universities, and explored grant opportunities and participation in competition procedures.
Discussing the innovation support ecosystem in Russia, Ekaterina Morozova noted that it is ‘developing in the right direction.’ ‘A huge number of young teams, who used to spend years in universities without demand for their developments, now see this demand and interest,’ she said. Olga Petrova believes that ‘universities in the Russian Federation are rather conservative, but there are institutions that, by participating in various events, have become very active and innovative.’ ‘The pace of innovation development in business is traditionally higher than in other areas, including education. It is crucial for us to close this gap as quickly as possible. To achieve this, we are investing in transferring our innovative practices to students and educators. Supporting innovation competitions is one of the tools for sharing best practices and implementing new teaching methods,’ noted Marat Ismagulov. ‘The task of a university is to make the miracle of education happen in the classroom, where a person transforms through interaction with various groups,’ emphasised Dmitry Zemtsov. In his view, this goal is achieved in various ways, especially given the constantly changing modes of communication, learning, tasks, and government objectives. ‘That is why the university is constantly driven by innovation,’ concluded the HSE Vice Rector.
At the end of the discussion, the speakers advised future researchers not to fear experimentation and to remember that the development of the education system is in their hands. They also encouraged them to draw inspiration from the achievements of colleagues and representatives from other fields, boldly adopting best practices.
Project Descriptions
Text by Sofya Simina, Advertising and Public Relations Programme