Tashkent Hosts Startup Ecosystem Development Council Meeting

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 7 March, Tashkent’s Palace of Youth Creativity hosted the latest meeting of the Coordination Council for the Development of the Startup Ecosystem.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Digital Technologies, and the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan, in cooperation with the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The meeting focused on current issues in developing the startup ecosystem and implementing tasks outlined in Presidential Decree No. PP-59 of 11 February 2026. The decree introduced a four-stage model for the startup ecosystem, covering idea generation, project development, launch, and subsequent scaling.

The session was opened by Bobur Khodjaev, Head of the Department of Financial Technologies, Digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence of the Presidential Administration and Deputy Chairman of the Council, along with Ilkhom Norkulov, First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance.

Council members, representatives of ministries, higher education institutions, commercial banks, venture funds, business angels, and young startup entrepreneurs attended the meeting.

Responsible organizations, universities, and commercial banks presented brief reports on nine priority areas of the startup ecosystem, reviewing the current situation, ongoing measures, and future targets.

Information was presented on projects in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, AgriTech, and other strategic areas. Special attention was given to the “Universities as Startup Generators” program, scheduled to launch on 1 September 2026, with its implementation procedure to be approved by 1 May 2026.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations, Kongratbay Sharipov, and Bobur Abdullaev, Rector of INHA University Tashkent, shared updates on incubation and acceleration programs, as well as the training of startup trackers and project managers.

The development of startup activities in the regions was also discussed. Dilnozakhan Kattakhonova, First Deputy Director of the Youth Affairs Agency, reported on the creation of “Startup Clubs” across regions. Bakhromjon Jalilov, Advisor to the Khokim of Fergana Region, shared regional experiences and practical results.

The session also addressed the draft law “On Startups,” including its concept and proposals for improvement.

International organizations, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank, and the UN Development Programme, provided recommendations on developing the startup ecosystem, with IFC’s perspective presented by Madina Nurmatova.

An open dialogue with the startup community allowed entrepreneurs to present innovative ideas and initiatives to the responsible officials. Participants discussed startup support, funding expansion, infrastructure and institutional improvements, and practical implementation of innovations.

Entrepreneurs were also informed about existing state support mechanisms and received practical guidance for developing their projects. Entrepreneurs can submit their ideas and initiatives via the unified electronic platform StartupBase.