Nearly 500 participants joined IDDA Awards over four years

Over the past four years, nearly 500 participants have taken part in the award process of the IDDA Awards competition, Farid Osmanov, Chairman of the Board of Azerbaijan"s Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA), said at the award ceremony, Report informs.

Osmanov noted that participants were recognized across a wide range of categories and nominations. "This year"s event attracted significant interest from the innovation ecosystem. During the four-month nomination period, 162 applications were submitted, and more than 58,000 Azerbaijani citizens participated in open public voting. Today"s ceremony will announce the winners in the respective categories," he said.

The chairman also pointed out that several initiatives were implemented this year to strengthen the innovation ecosystem.

"In particular, infrastructure projects have supported the diversification of innovation centers. In cooperation with higher education institutions, we have established innovation hubs in Baku and the regions to support startups from the idea stage through to real solutions. These spaces have already become active gathering points for people," Osmanov said.

He further emphasized the importance of developing human capital. "Numerous programs have been implemented for this purpose. More than 10,000 young people have benefited from training programs organized by the agency, and this work is ongoing. We currently have several educational programs underway, jointly implemented with universities and other institutions, which remain highly relevant. In addition, this year we focused on improving access to the financial ecosystem, expanding the availability of funds, and establishing new financing mechanisms," he added.