Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A Skolkovo artificial intelligence centre is expected to open in Tashkent in 2027–2028, following approval of a roadmap for the project, Timur Kornilov, a managing director at the Skolkovo Foundation, said at the FINOBOD 2026 forum.
Kornilov spoke on 13 November during a plenary session titled “Digital Uzbekistan – Central Asia’s Innovation Hub”. He said the foundation had signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation in September. The approved roadmap allows the project to move towards opening the centre in Tashkent.
Session moderator Anna Zabroda recalled that reports had emerged a year earlier about plans to establish an AI centre in Uzbekistan under the Skolkovo brand and develop a portfolio of joint pilot projects to introduce IT technologies in key economic sectors. She said she had found no published updates on the results.
Asked to clarify the timeline, Kornilov confirmed that the target period was 2027–2028.
He said the initiative was first proposed in 2024 at a forum attended by the leaders of Central Asian republics.
The proposal envisaged opening a Skolkovo branch in Uzbekistan and establishing an expert council on artificial intelligence and the digital economy.
Skolkovo already operates an AI centre in Russia, employing more than 140 people, Kornilov said. Its in-house projects have been introduced in several sectors of the economy and continue to be developed.
He stressed that the foundation prioritises the safe use and deployment of artificial intelligence. It has also launched a programme for business leaders on applying AI in business.
Kornilov added that Uzbekistan had approved a list of more than 60 projects involving the use of artificial intelligence in agriculture, industry, healthcare and other sectors.
Skolkovo has been working with Uzbekistan since 2018, when the country joined the CIS Interstate Innovation Cooperation Programme through 2030, coordinated by the foundation.
The foundation’s partners in Uzbekistan include the Innovation Development Agency and the ministries responsible for agriculture and digital development. A commercialisation centre operates under the programme at the NUU special economic zone and IT Park.
Around 70 of Skolkovo’s 3,500 resident companies are operating in Uzbekistan, Kornilov said. He described this figure as relatively low and said the foundation would work to increase it.
Among the areas with strong potential, he named artificial intelligence, agricultural technology, industrial and energy digitalisation, smart city solutions, cybersecurity, healthcare and educational technology.
