The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan has approved the procedure for holding the 'Most Innovative Idea' contest among students of state higher education institutions. The competition aims to support talented youth and encourage the transformation of their scientific developments into commercially viable startups.

The contest will be held annually from September to December in two stages. In the first stage, universities will select the best projects among their students. In the second stage, the Agency for Innovative Development will organize a republican selection across 10 areas to determine the finalists.

Applications for the university stage will be accepted from September 10 to October 10. Each participant may submit only one innovative idea. Projects will be evaluated on a 100-point scale, with the jury considering scientific novelty, relevance, distinction from existing analogues, cost justification, and expected results.

At the university level, winners will receive grants: 50 million soums for first place, 30 million for second, and 20 million for third. At the republican level, prizes are significantly higher: 500, 300, and 200 million soums, respectively. These funds are intended to finance the winners' startup projects.

Earlier, Uzbek specialists developed an innovative interceptor drone called 'Shunkor-88', designed to counter unmanned aerial vehicles. The project was created by a team led by Ismailov Bilolkhon as part of the 'Engineers of the Future' contest.

Source: podrobno.uz