On September 14, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, attended the opening of the first phase of the "SABAH.city" innovation campus, established in the High Tech Park of the Ministry of Science and Education in Baku. The State Public Services (ASAN) Artificial Intelligence Center has also been established here. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, informed President Ilham Aliyev about the ASAN Artificial Intelligence Center, the INNOLAND Incubation & Acceleration Center, and the "AI Assistant" project of the State Public Services. The ASAN Artificial Intelligence Center was established to support innovative initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence in Azerbaijan, bring together researchers, state institutions, the private sector, and individual users on a single digital platform (www.asanhub.ai), and strengthen cooperation between government, business, and educational institutions by promoting an open innovation model. To date, a total of 50 artificial intelligence solutions have been presented. The ASAN Artificial Intelligence Center has established partnerships with 8 universities operating in the country, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, several prestigious foreign universities (Tsinghua University (China), Oxford University (United Kingdom), and Boğaziçi University (Turkey)), as well as other prominent international partners. To date, 150 startups have benefited from the "INNOLAND" Incubation and Acceleration Center of the State Public Services, with 4 startups acquired by foreign investors. The "AI Assistant" platform allows users to access information on various operational areas of the State Public Services in a fast, simple, and conversational format, as well as perform analysis and forecasting.
The delegation led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, John Mulimba, who is on an official visit to our country, visited the "ASAN Service" center.
The guests also familiarized themselves with the activities of the "INNOLAND" Incubation and Acceleration Center.
“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.
On January 10, 2019, Memorandum of Understanding was signed between INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, Next Step Innovation Center and SUP Startap Accelerator.
The memorandum covers joint cooperation on the promotion of Incubation and Acceleration projects, the provision of co-working services, and the conduct of educational programs for startups. It also includes an exchange of information and involvement in the organization of other mutual events to attract local and foreign investors.
The importance of the incubation service in establishing a sustainable startup ecosystem in our country, as well as the role of the acceleration service in shaping new national startup brands outside the country.