On September 17, the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of the “Baku ID” innovation festival was held for the first time at SABAH.city. The festival brought together startups, investors, technology and business leaders, representatives of government institutions, and prominent figures from the innovation ecosystem.
The official opening of the festival was delivered by Farhad Pashayev, Member of the Board of SABAH.HUB. Rəhim Bayramlı, CEO of SABAH.HUB, then welcomed the guests and spoke about the festival’s achievements over the past five years. Nihat Majidov, CEO of SABAH.city, presented the developments that have taken place at the innovation campus over the past year, as well as its goals and priorities for the year ahead.
The opening programme continued with a panel discussion titled “Strengthening Public-Private Sector Cooperation in Defining Skills Priorities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era.” The panel featured Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Economy; Emin Amrullayev, Minister of Science and Education; Rovshan Najaf, President of SOCAR; and Farid Mammadov, CEO of PASHA Financial Holding. The speakers discussed the role of the public and private sectors in driving innovation, strengthening collaboration, and identifying the skills needed for the future.
Following the panel, certificates of achievement and gifts were presented to participants recognized in 12 categories under the “National Programme.” The award ceremony was attended by Shahmar Movsumov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Economic Affairs and Innovative Development Policy Department of the Presidential Administration; Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov; Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev; President of SOCAR Rovshan Najaf; and CEO of PASHA Financial Holding Farid Mammadov.
The first day of the festival continued with talks, panel discussions and presentations covering topics such as artificial intelligence, venture capital, startup financing, education and health technologies. The programme also featured startup pitches before investors and experts, the Azerbaijan regional final of the “Startup World Cup”, a community meetup organized by 4SİM, networking sessions and other parallel activities.
“Baku ID 2026” will continue today, September 18, at SABAH.city. The second day of the festival will feature startup pitches, panel discussions, keynote talks and meetings with investors.
It is worth noting that the strategic partners of “Baku ID 2026” are the Ministry of Science and Education, PASHA Holding, SOCAR, and the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4SİM), operating under the Ministry of Economy. The festival’s main partners are the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IRIA) and TIMES.
For detailed and up-to-date information about the festival, visit bakuid.com and follow the festival’s official social media accounts.
