“Yay Fest 2025” — From Idea to Signature

As part of “Yay Fest 2025,” a panel discussion titled “From Idea to Signature: Sovereign Thinking, Local Innovative Initiatives” was held with the participation of young attendees.

Speakers included Nicat Amiraslanov, Head of the “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center, and Nofel Aliyev, trainer at the ASAN Center for Innovative Development.

During the panel, participants were provided with in-depth information on startup building, shaping successful ideas, and the role of artificial intelligence tools in this process. The session continued with an interactive discussion involving the youth.

A “Youth Camp” has been organized for the children of martyrs.

Within the framework of the project, the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center conducted a series of educational and practical sessions for children of martyrs aged 7–23.

During the “Urban Planning Creativity” activity, teams used the provided materials to design and present innovative city models. Trainings on innovation and idea generation were also organized. Participants joined interactive sessions on the concept of startups, idea development, and presentation skills.

Throughout the program, young participants enhanced their creative thinking, problem-solving, and effective idea presentation skills.

The project was organized by the YAŞAT Fondu and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the support of the Goranboy District Executive Authority, the ASAN Könüllüləri Təşkilatı, the INNOLAND İnkubasiya və Akselerasiya Mərkəzi, the Baku Psychology Center, and the Azerbaijan Human Resources Association.

The “Youth Camp” is regarded as an important platform for unlocking young people’s potential and positively guiding their future educational and career choices.

The “Demo Day” event of the IV “TUSI” incubation program, implemented by the “Innovation Center” of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, within the framework of the “Skills for the Future” project, has been held.

The objective is to strengthen human capital in the field of innovation and promote innovative activities in education. At the same time, creating conditions for the development of students’ innovative ideas and directing them toward invention and startup activities are among the key priorities.

The event was attended by Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Agency; Firudin Gurbanov, Deputy Minister of Science and Education; Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency; Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, Vice President for Communications and External Affairs for the Caspian Region at bp; as well as rectors of higher education institutions in the country.

Within the framework of the event, a Memorandum of Understanding on “Cooperation in the Formation and Development of an Innovation Environment in Universities” was signed between the State Agency and newly joined institutions — Azerbaijan Medical University, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, and the Academy of the State Customs Committee.

Afterwards, the guests ознакомились with the projects of the startup teams.

During the event, speeches by officials were delivered, and a video highlighting the work carried out within the project was presented.

Sixteen startup teams that successfully completed the IV “TUSI” incubation program presented their projects. Based on the jury’s evaluation, the top three projects were granted the opportunity to become residents of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center. The first-place winner also earned the right to participate in the “Take Off Istanbul” startup summit.

Detailed information was provided about the upcoming V “TUSI” incubation program. Through intensive training covering 10 main topics and 34 sub-modules, the program offers participants extensive opportunities for building startups, systematically developing ideas, and integrating into the innovation ecosystem.

Since 2021, cooperation has been established with 15 higher education institutions within the framework of the project; more than 300 startup ideas have been submitted by over 3,000 students. With the support of more than 130 trained university mentors, 29 startup teams have been formed and have presented their projects at “Demo Day” events.

To date, four startups formed within the “Skills for the Future” project have attracted a total of 310,000 AZN in investment.