Acceptance of applications for participation in the Smart Scholarship annual open contest sponsored by Center-invest Bank and Education and Science of the Southern Federal District Endowment Fund starts on 01 September 2023.

250 top students will be granted a 50,000-ruble scholarship, as well as the possibility of internship with Center-invest Bank and training by the best professionals of the bank’s Accelerator.

Among those eligible for the scholarship are intramural students up to 27 years of age enrolled in the bachelor’s, master’s or postgraduate programs at 22 partner universities.

Selection of contest participants is performed in two stages. Within the framework of the first stage, from 01 until 30 September 2023, it is necessary to fill out an application form on the scholarship website, present one’s advancements in studies and science, and describe one’s business idea.
During the second stage, all participants who successfully passed the first stage of selection prepare a video presentation of themselves and their business project and post it on social media.

In 2022 capital of the Education and Science of the Southern Federal District Endowment Fund was increased to 207 million rubles. The year 2022 saw another record in the number of applicants, with 9,000 people presenting their advancements and business projects to the Contest Committee. Most projects were devoted to transformation of economy and improvement of working conditions, which is compliant with the 8th Sustainable Development Goal.

The breakdown of the Smart Scholarship contest projects over the Sustainable Development Goals demonstrates the interest among young people of Southern Russia in supporting the topical issues of the modern world and rendering assistance in their resolution.

Over many years of its history, more than 30,000 students from 17 leading universities of the Krasnodar Territory, Rostov and Volgograd Regions, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan, and Republic of Adygea took part in the Endowment Fund’s contest.

Center-invest Bank successfully implements an ESG model of responsible business in the economy of transformations, supports educational and cultural projects, creates conditions for development of talents in the region and their global competitiveness for the benefit of the present and future generations.