Azerbaijan proposes Start-up and Innovation cooperation platform for Turkic states

Azerbaijan has proposed creating a joint Start-up and Innovation cooperation platform to strengthen regional collaboration and accelerate technological development across member countries.

This was revealed by the country's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov at a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Turkic States in Baku on Friday. 

Azerbaijan has been actively advancing its startup and innovation ecosystem as part of its broader strategy to diversify the economy and foster new-generation entrepreneurship.

Addressing the 2nd meeting of the Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Jabbarov emphasised that startups and innovation are central to enhancing economic competitiveness and developing the non-oil sector.

He pointed to successful national initiatives such as the “Sabah.hub” innovation centre, which connects young professionals, startups, and investors, supporting them from idea generation to commercialisation.

The related Sabah Venture Fund has been investing in local innovation projects and building a new wave of technology companies, reflecting Azerbaijan’s long-term commitment to embedding innovation into its economic model.

The Minister’s proposal to establish the “Turkic States Startup and Innovation Cooperation Platform” aims to create a unified framework for collaboration among member countries.

According to him, the platform would coordinate efforts in innovation, digital economy, and startup development, while enabling the exchange of expertise, technological resources, and best practices across the Turkic world.

He added that such a mechanism would accelerate innovative growth and open new opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop and scale their projects within the region’s expanding markets.

Jabbarov also called for the creation of a “Turkic Patent Organization (CTPO)” under the OTS Working Group on Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, describing intellectual property cooperation as vital to scientific and industrial progress.

He further highlighted the previously proposed “Turkic States Metrology Organization (TÜRKMET)”—an initiative first raised at the OTS Summit in Astana in 2023—as another key step toward deepening regional economic integration and enhancing technological and research capacity.

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