Agency for Innovative Development under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan

A delegation led by Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan, Oktam Salomov, is currently on a working visit to the People’s Republic of China, where they held an official meeting with the leadership of the “HICOOL” global innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

During the negotiations, it was emphasized that the trusted dialogue between the leaders of the two countries serves as a strong foundation for expanding cooperation in innovation and education. The parties also exchanged views on practical approaches to developing the startup ecosystem in Uzbekistan.

Following the meeting, agreements were reached to launch joint incubation and acceleration programs based on the “HICOOL” model, establish a Uzbekistan–China joint startup and innovation center, and create a dedicated venture fund to support promising projects.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Chinese partners were invited to participate in the “InnoWeek.Uz–2026” International Innovation Ideas Week.

For reference, the “HICOOL” platform has been operating since 2020 and has brought together over 34,000 startups from 167 countries. The initiative has attracted a total of $7.4 billion in investments.