CAREC University Innovation Exchange Program

CAREC University Innovation Exchange Program

Other Projects

Completed

CAREC University Innovation Exchange Program (UIEP) is an Innovation Summer Bootcamp that brings together pre-seed startup teams (24 students) from universities in the CAREC region to enhance their skills, connect with like-minded peers and experts, and gain access to resources.

The CAREC UIEP Innovation Summer Bootcamp aims to:

• Provide pre-seed startup teams from selected universities with a comprehensive study tour on innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Foster cross-border collaboration and networking among startup teams from different universities and countries in the CAREC region.
• Build a community of young entrepreneurs who can support and learn from each other in their journey to build sustainable ventures.
• Provide selected participants with access to mentors, investors, and other resources to scale their ventures and drive economic growth in the CAREC region.

The UIEP Innovation Summer Bootcamp is a two-week in-person program that includes workshops, site visits, pitching & mentoring sessions, and networking events. The bootcamp topics are:

• Workshop
  • Ideation and validation
  • Business models and market analysis
  • Customer development and user experience
  • Legal and financial aspects of starting a venture
  • Scaling and growth strategies
• Site visit
  • Incubators, Accelerators
  • Investors
  • Innovation Hubs
  • Startups
  • Cultural activities, etc.
• Pitching and mentorship
  • Pitching to investors and other stakeholders
  • Receiving feedback
• Networking reception event

Founder and sponsor of the program: Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Partner Universities:

• Uzbekistan: innoWIUT, Westminster International University in Tashkent
• Kazakhstan: Almaty Management University
• Azerbaijan: State University of Economics
• Georgia: Future Laboratory, Georgian American University

Project Period: 16-29 July, 2023.