The 3rd "RoboCode" Camp of "ASAN Service" has concluded

The "RoboCode III" robotic coding camp, jointly organized by the Innovation Center of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, "Silicon Valley Bilisim," and "SAHA Robotics," and sponsored by Expressbank, has come to a close.

The closing ceremony was attended by Vusal Rustamov, Director of the Innovation Center; Tuba Oztepe, Deputy CEO of Silicon Valley Bilisim; Nida Emin Kirishchi, ecosystem development specialist; Burak Can Kaya, Head of Robotics Behavior and Navigation Systems at SAHA Robotics; camp participants; and other guests.

Prototypes developed by the 5 teams that formed during the camp and advanced to the final stage were evaluated by a panel of judges.

The winners earned the right to participate in an internship program at SAHA Robotics and to benefit from a 1-year office space at Silicon Valley Bilisim. In addition, the winning team that fully develops and completes their project will have the opportunity to participate in the "Take Off Istanbul" startup summit.

Over the course of the one-month camp, more than 150 applications were received in total, and 105 participants selected based on set criteria received training in both online and in-person formats. The training program covered technological topics such as "Fundamentals of ROS 2," "SLAM Algorithms," and "ROS 2 Tools and Custom Environment Creation in Gazebo," as well as training in entrepreneurship and team building.

Since the camps began in 2023, a total of 924 applications have been received across all three editions, with more than 300 applicants earning the right to compete.

The camp is held within the framework of a cooperation protocol signed in 2023 between the Innovation Center and Silicon Valley Bilisim Baku. The goal is to facilitate access to autonomous systems, robotics, and automation technologies, and to equip young people who wish to specialize and build careers in this field with knowledge and skills related to the ROS (Robot Operating System) ecosystem. Supporting participants in developing their projects in this area through the promotion of innovative solutions is also among the priority directions.

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.

Information sessions of the 5th TUSI continue 

Within the framework of the program, meetings were organized at Azerbaijan State University of Economics, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, and Baku Higher Oil School.

Students were introduced to the goals of the incubation program, the process of developing a startup idea, team building, and the opportunities offered by the program. Participants’ questions were also addressed.

In total, more than 400 students took part in the information sessions and learned about the startup ecosystem and the development of innovative ideas.

You can also join the incubation program by registering here:
➡️ https://gub.icenter.az/home