A meeting was held at the Innovation Agency between Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade and the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger.
At the meeting, the ambassador was provided with information on the activities of the agency. The diplomat familiarized himself with the laboratories, business incubation and acceleration centers of the Innovation Agency.
Then there was a meeting with local startuppers and representatives of American IT companies in Azerbaijan. Views were exchanged on the work to be done for the development of the sphere of innovations and high technologies in Azerbaijan and plans for the future. The prospects for expanding cooperation of local startups with American accelerators and investors were touched upon as well.
Ambassador Litzenberger stressed that over 6,000 Azerbaijanis have been to the United States through the exchange program, and this figure cannot be considered satisfactory. "I think that there is a great potential for the development of the innovation ecosystem in Azerbaijan. The number of exchange programs should be increased. Such programs contribute to the development of the cooperation between the two countries. Due to the limited budget of the embassy, we would like private companies to sponsor such programs," – the diplomat said.
The ambassador noted that proposals to sponsor exchange activities have already been submitted to member companies of the American Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking of the establishment of the Innovation Agency, Minister Ramin Guluzade said that an innovation infrastructure is being formed in Azerbaijan at the initiative of the country’s leadership: "The field of information and communication technologies is developing dynamically all over the world. This area is one of the priorities for our country and is constantly in the center of attention of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev. "
According to the Minister, in order to ensure the sustainable development of the country in accordance with the policy set by the head of state, the non-oil sector, including the information and communication technologies and high technologies sectors are rapidly developing.
Ramin Guluzade also spoke about the importance of the US support – the country in which startup movement is developed, to the development of this sphere in Azerbaijan. Noting that joint projects with the embassy and American companies are being implemented, the Minister expressed confidence that this cooperation will continue in the future.
Then representatives of American companies operating in the technology field, and participants of the First Azerbaijani-US Exchange Program addressed the meeting.
After the presentations, the minister and the ambassador answered questions from startuppers.
In conclusion, information was added to the "Sponsors and Partners" corner of the Innovation Agency that the US Embassy to Azerbaijan is a partner of the Innovation Agency.
