The Science and Technology Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the jury meeting to select three winners out of ten (10) participating teams in the competition of the ICESCO Youth Training Programme on how to develop small businesses in the field of technology and innovation in the Republic of Uzbekistan, implemented in cooperation with ‘New Innovation Space Foundation’ and the business incubator ‘Savana.’

During the hybrid meeting, held on Wednesday (October 5, 2022), in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, and via videoconference, the participating teams made presentations on their businesses before the jury composed of Dr. Muhammad Sharrif, Advisor at the Science and Technology Sector, and his work team, as well as several experts and specialists in the field of entrepreneurship and start-up financing.

At the end of the meeting, the jury announced the winning teams in the Republic of Uzbekistan. These winners are “Beautify” team, which presented a digital platform that connects service providers to their clients in the field of aesthetics; “Coozin,” which presented a digital platform for the delivery of home-cooked meals; and “Mento,” which won the third place for its platform on enhancing the educational experience and preparing for university entrance exams in developing countries.

It is noteworthy that this programme targets Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Nigeria. It will be launched in 10 Member States of ICESCO by the end of 2022. It is part of ICESCO’s strategy and action plan, which aims to support more than 150 start-ups in the field of innovation and technology by 2025.

The jury will select the best three teams from each country to compete in the final stage, which will be held at ICESCO Headquarters, in Rabat, to present their businesses before a number of donor institutions and investors to obtain the necessary funding for their implementation.