On Monday, 3 June 2024, the International Entrepreneurs Summit and the final of the ICESCO Youth Training Program on how to create and develop small projects in the field of technology and innovation concluded their second session. The events were organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and several other partners in the Republic of Azerbaijan, where five teams were announced as winners among 33 participating teams from 11 ICESCO Member States.

The closing day of the Summit and the final of the Program in Shusha, Culture Capital of the Islamic world in 2024, were attended by high-level officials, investors, entrepreneurs and international experts in technology and digital economy. Mr. Rashad Azizov, Head of the Department on Creative Industries and Digital Transformation at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture, highlighted, at the opening session, the Ministry’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship in the creative industries. Moreover, he expressed his appreciation for ICESCO’s ongoing support in enhancing youth capacities. Dr. Elchin Babayev, Rector of Baku State University, discussed the University’s initiatives to establish scientific chairs and contribute to the promotion of knowledge in Azerbaijan. Ms. Lidia Borrell Damian, Secretary General of Science Europe, reviewed the roles of various scientific and creative fields and explored mechanisms to support entrepreneurs.

This was followed by a high-level session on the importance of startups and inclusive future technology, a panel discussion on empowering women through entrepreneurship in the digital age, and a second session on decentralized artificial intelligence: Investor Perspectives on How to Qualify Startups through Innovation and Collaboration.

The jury then announced the winners of the second edition of ICESCO’s Program to train youth on how to create and develop small projects in the field of technology and innovation. The “Snack Pack” team from Azerbaijan won first place, with a prize of $10,000, for their project to reduce food waste in hotels. The second place, with a prize of $8,000, was won by “ReSkill” from Tajikistan, for their platform project for acquiring programming skills. “Biopols” from Turkey won third place, with a prize of $6,000, for their project to develop a new generation food storage technology with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Fourth place, with a prize of $3,000, went to “Caredify” from Tunisia, for a smart watch project that allows real-time and remote monitoring of vital signs in cardiac patients, and “High Value”, from Djibouti, for a high-quality goat cheese export project.

Recognition awards went to: “Ecofoni”, from Turkey, for its carbon footprint calculation, reporting, and management platform; “Documood”, from Azerbaijan, for its cloud platform for creating and signing legal contracts; and “SE+ O3 Eggs Functional Foods”, from Sudan, for its project to produce high selenium and high Omega-3 poultry eggs, through designed feeds for hen that passes minerals organically to the eggs.