Tashkent, July 1, 2025 – The Europe Today: In honor of Youth Day on June 30, Chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva held a special meeting with young scientists and innovators to highlight the nation’s ongoing commitment to empowering its youth and fostering scientific advancement.
The event brought together senators, members of the Youth Parliament, young researchers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, participants of the “One Million Coders” initiative, rectors of technical universities and the Youth Academy, as well as deputy hokims responsible for innovation and dynamic youth from across the country.
In her keynote address, Chairperson Narbayeva spoke on the state’s comprehensive youth policy, the importance of innovative development in the social sector, and the extensive support being offered for scientific and educational endeavors. She also highlighted recent legislative initiatives aimed at creating greater opportunities for the younger generation.
She noted that over the past several years, Uzbekistan has adopted more than 100 laws and regulatory acts addressing youth-related issues. The number of higher education institutions has tripled, and youth enrollment in tertiary education has risen to 42 percent. A notable success was also seen in female education—thanks to state-supported tuition aid for women, the number of female students has increased elevenfold.
Currently, over 1,500 gifted Uzbek youth are studying at prestigious universities abroad. With support from the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation over the last seven years, 2,300 young people have been given the opportunity to study overseas.
The number of young scientists holding academic degrees has doubled, now surpassing 4,000. Additionally, state budget allocations for science and innovation have exceeded 1.5 trillion UZS. In the past four years alone, more than 28 institutions have been involved in funding innovative projects, and 28 districts and cities have been designated as innovation zones following a Presidential Resolution.
The creation of the Youth Academy has also been a milestone, uniting over 4,200 talented individuals. As part of the 2022–2026 Innovation Development Strategy, efforts are ongoing to establish robust innovation infrastructure and support young professionals aiming to enter global markets.
By 2025, the number of IT park residents is projected to exceed 2,500, with 260 startups already active, having attracted $17.9 million in investment. By 2026, Uzbekistan aspires to be among the world’s top 50 most innovative countries, expand infrastructure to 75 facilities, and increase the number of startups to 1,437.
During the meeting, young participants shared the tangible benefits of the state youth policy in their lives and presented fresh ideas for future projects. Many called for similar dialogues to be held regularly to sustain momentum and collaboration.
The gathering reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s strong commitment to investing in its youth as the driving force of national innovation and progress.
