Uzbekistan Approves Rules for “Most Innovative Idea” Contest

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has approved procedures for holding the national “Most Innovative Idea” contest among students of state higher education institutions, the Ministry of Justice said.

The relevant regulation was approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 463 dated 4 September 2026.

The contest is aimed at identifying promising student developments and innovative ideas that can be transformed into startup projects and subsequently receive funding.

Under the approved regulation, the contest will be held annually from September to December and will consist of two stages. The first stage will take place directly at state higher education institutions, while the national stage will be organized by the Innovation Development Agency.

At the national stage, ideas will be assessed in 10 areas.

Every year on 10 September, educational institutions must announce the start of accepting applications for the first stage.

Each student may submit only one innovative idea. Applications must be submitted to the selection committee by 10 October.

Ideas will be evaluated by selection and competition committees using a 100-point system. Up to 20 points can be awarded for each of five criteria: the scientific and innovative novelty of the idea, its relevance, its distinction from existing alternatives, the validity of the proposed expenditure estimate and the expected results of implementation. Each criterion carries the same maximum score.

Grants will be provided to winners of the first stage. The first-place winner will receive 50 million soums, second place will receive 30 million soums and third place will receive 20 million soums.

Larger amounts of funding are предусмотрed for winners of the national stage. Innovative ideas will be financed under an agreement between the Innovation Development Agency, the applicant and the relevant organization.

The first-place winner at the national stage will receive 500 million soums, while second place will receive 300 million soums and third place 200 million soums.

The new procedure establishes a step-by-step selection process for student ideas, starting with competitions within individual educational institutions and progressing to the national level, with the possibility of subsequent funding for projects that receive the highest scores.