As reported earlier, the "Digital Creative Weekend" project took place in Baku and Shusha from May 31 to June 3.
As part of the project, the Baku Crystal Hall hosted the World Final of the “A-Hub Acceleration Program(2023) on June 2, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, ICESCO, and “New Space Open Innovation.”
First, attendees listened to the video message from ICESCO General Director Salim bin Muhammad al-Malik.
In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Culture Farid Jafarov welcomed the guests. He pointed out that the Ministry of Culture is collaborating with ICESCO on this project. "We are happy that this platform has grown into a large-scale project. We plan to undertake new initiatives to further develop it in the future."
Highlighting the collaborative efforts between Azerbaijan and ICESCO, the deputy minister noted that the country has had a productive partnership with the organization to date: "An example is the declaration of Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, as the 'Cultural Capital of the Islamic World' for 2024. Achieving 'cultural capital' status is a great honor. Tomorrow, you will witness firsthand the rich Islamic culture preserved in this ancient city."
Mahammad Sharif, Advisor to the Director General of ICESCO on Science and Technology, thanked our country for its hospitality and wished success to the teams in the World Finals. He also expressed his confidence that the participants of the project will get acquainted with the rich culture of Azerbaijan during the event.
Leyla Taghizadeh, the founder of “New Space Open Innovation,” provided information about the project. The project, which started in 2021, aims to support innovative development initiatives and is being implemented in ICESCO member countries. Its objectives include raising interest among businesses and young people in this field and coordinating cultural and private creative business entities. "Three years ago, when we launched this project, we couldn't have imagined such a grand world final involving more than 11 innovative teams from 30 countries. Azerbaijan, Djibouti, Tunisia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, Egypt, Mali, and Sudan are participating in the world final. The total prize pool of the final is 30 thousand US dollars.”
After the speeches, the startup teams introduced their ideas.
The names of the winners will be revealed at the award ceremony to be held on June 3 in Shusha.
The "A-Hub Accelerator" is an initiative implemented by ICESCO and "New Space Open Innovation" and established with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan. This program supports creative and technological startups by giving them access to essential resources and mentorship to develop their ideas. Launched as a pilot project in 2021, the accelerator now operates in 20 countries and continues to expand.
