Active discussions are underway to develop cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in the field of information technology, Oleg Pekos, First Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.
“We are engaged in active negotiations to establish a joint IT hub between ‘IT Park Uzbekistan’ and Azerbaijan’s ‘Sabah.Hub’ to deepen bilateral cooperation in supporting startups and digital innovations. This hub will serve as a platform for supporting joint startups and innovative projects, conducting training and acceleration programs with experts from both countries, as well as organizing joint hackathons, startup weekends, and demo days aimed at identifying promising projects and helping them enter international markets,” Pekos said.
He emphasized that the venture division of IT Park Uzbekistan, called ‘IT Park Ventures,’ is open to co-financing startups participating in joint acceleration programs and creating joint investment instruments, such as a co-investment fund focused on export-oriented projects. There is also interest in dialogues with Azerbaijani venture funds and institutional investors on involving both countries’ startups in international investment rounds with investor syndicates from local and third markets.
According to Pekos, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have great potential for practical cooperation in digital technologies. Currently, the main directions for translating dialogue into concrete actions have been identified. One priority project is the implementation of the “MyID Palm” technology, which recognizes unique palm vein patterns for identification and payment processing. This technology is already in use in Uzbekistan and is especially relevant for public transport, healthcare, and education sectors.
Pekos proposed launching a joint pilot project in Baku with subsequent expansion. Uzbekistan is ready to provide the technology and tested approaches, while Azerbaijan should integrate it with its SIMA digital identification and signature platform. An important step will be joint work on technical compatibility, including data storage and protection issues.
Such a project would promote broader cooperation, including the exchange of technological solutions.
