Uzbekistan will hold an annual international startup competition, Land of Startups, starting in 2027, the Ministry of Digital Technologies has announced.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the competition rules in a resolution dated October 28. The annual event aims to attract foreign startup projects to Uzbekistan, support technology transfer and establish a regional startup hub.
The competition’s total prize pool will amount to $5 million.
The first Land of Startups competition will begin in April 2027 and cover five main areas:
- artificial intelligence;
- digital technologies in social sectors, including education, healthcare and public services;
- financial technologies;
- creative industries, as well as computer and mobile game development;
- B2B and industrial solutions.
The government has also updated the regulations governing IT Park. The list of activities permitted for its residents has been expanded to include several new areas.
These include the development and production of Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence devices, micro- and nanoelectronics, intelligent robots, as well as the operation of business angel clubs.
The requirement to integrate metering and measurement devices developed by IT Park residents in the automation sector with tax authorities' systems has been abolished. Residents are also no longer required to submit tax and statistical reports or information about information technology training courses to the IT Park directorate.
The resolution was adopted in line with a presidential decree issued in February on establishing a comprehensive startup support ecosystem. The decree provides for startup idea competitions among school and university students, as well as a four-stage support programme covering the development, scaling and export of startups.
The English version of this material was generated with the assistance of AI translation tools and may differ slightly from the original text.
