Gazprom Neft and Skolkovo to find the best start-ups in data management
Gazprom Neft, together with the Skolkovo Foundation IT Cluster, is running a competition for start-up projects in data management. Winners will receive mini-grants of RUB5 million from the Skolkovo Foundation: Gazprom Neft, for its part, will be providing opportunities for the best solutions to be used commercially.
The competitive selection of innovative projects on the “Development of Data Helpdesk Services at Gazprom Neft” began on 1 September 2016 and will continue until 15 October. Application forms can be found on the competition web-page, at https://sk.ru/foundation/events/september2016/gazpromneft/.
The key objective of the competition is to find innovative tools for the management and analysis of information. New solutions may be utilised in project management and the development of specialist corporate services through which company employees will be able to obtain information on the availability, sources and quality of data essential to their work. The Data Helpdesk project being implemented at Gazprom Neft envisages the possibility of cross-sectoral data integration, accessible from various departments within the company, and its consolidation into a single source, ensuring easy access in response to user enquiries. A data-quality monitoring system is also planned.
Projects entered for the competition must address practical real-life problems — such as reducing duplicate reports, optimising management time in making changes to business systems, increasing transparency and data accessibility, and improving the quality of internal communications regarding changes within the company.
Work submitted for the competition will be assessed according to four criteria: the competitive advantage over similar solutions proposed; the likelihood of the project achieving its stated objectives and parameters; the extent to which the product meets the client’s business requirements; and team working.
Konstantin Kravchenko, Head of Gazprom Neft’s IT Department, commented: “Gazprom Neft’s IT strategy is predicated upon the active development of areas such as data management. The development and implementation of the Data Helpdesk service represents a key stage in a major project to develop a transparent and user-friendly corporate information environment. Addressing the ambitious goals facing Gazprom Neft means we are actively looking for Russian companies able to offer innovative solutions in working with data. And, together with the Skolkovo Innovation Centre, we have an excellent opportunity to find out more about domestic developers, and collaborate with them.”
Igor Bogachev, Skolkovo Foundation Vice President and CEO of the IT Cluster, added: “This first joint competition from Gazprom Neft and the Skolkovo Foundation, held as part of a partnership agreement signed this year, gives anyone involved in the IT Cluster an opportunity to develop a unique data management tool, meeting the needs of the Foundation’s partner. Fulfilment of this project, directed at improving effectiveness in business processes, will allow the application of innovative approaches in addressing an important practical problem.”
Participating start-ups will be assessed by a jury comprising specialists from the Skolkovo Foundation IT Cluster and Gazprom Neft. Winning entries will be published on 3 November 2016.
Tags: IT, technology