1 May 2026
The Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA), together with experts from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as active members of the innovation ecosystem, held an online meeting to discuss the future activities of the ITU Regional Acceleration Center. During the meeting, feedback was gathered from ecosystem stakeholders on the Center’s goals, mission, governance model, and functional направления, followed by an extensive exchange of ideas.
The main priorities of the ITU Regional Acceleration Center were defined as strengthening innovative entrepreneurship potential through collaboration among startups, businesses, government institutions, and educational organizations, as well as promoting knowledge and experience exchange and fostering international networking within the ecosystem.
Notably, the establishment of the ITU Regional Acceleration Center in Azerbaijan as the first in the CIS region holds particular significance. The Center in Baku is expected to enhance collaboration between innovation ecosystems in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, accelerating the integration of startups, SMEs, large companies, public institutions, universities, researchers, investors, and NGOs into regional innovation projects. Additionally, it will support improved access to markets and financing, infrastructure development, and human capital growth within the innovation ecosystem.
It should be noted that the ITU Regional Acceleration Center was established in 2025 within the framework of strategic cooperation between the Innovation and Digital Development Agency under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies.