Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 23 January 2021, an opening ceremony of the new season of the largest international technology competition for girls Technovation Girls Uzbekistan was held in Tashkent in the building of the Ministry of Innovative Development. 

The Technovation Girls Uzbekistan program is designed for three months of classes (from February to April) and is implemented in all regions of Uzbekistan. Taking into account quarantine restrictions and for the convenience of teams from the regions, most of the sessions will be conducted online. The final in Uzbekistan is scheduled for May. The best teams will receive prizes, and in June the international jury will determine several teams that will continue to participate in the international competition from Uzbekistan.

Project coordinator Elena Selezneva says: “When we held the Technovation competition for the first time in 2016, we were supported only by Inha University, and then only girls from Tashkent took part. Now the competition is republican, it is conducted by Tech4Impact NGO in partnership with the Association for the Support of Children and Families of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Innovative Development, the Center for Advanced Technologies, the Agency for the Development of Presidential, Creative and Specialized Schools under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the UN Office in Uzbekistan and with the support of a joint project UNDP and the Ministries for Support of Mahalla and Family "Empowering Women to Participate in Government and Increase Their Engagement in Socio-Economic Life".

Speaking to the participants of the competition, Shahlo Turdikulova, First Deputy Minister of Innovative Development, emphasized that the purpose of the competition is to instill in the participants "flexible" skills, to interest girls in information technology and entrepreneurship, to tell about female role models in STEM and to teach how to solve socially significant problems using technology ...

“Even if you don’t win the competition, you will gain invaluable teamwork experience and information skills to solve problems. And I recommend that you pay attention to science, they go to it not for the sake of ranks, but at the call of the heart, it is such happiness to do your favorite interesting thing,” Shakhlo Turdikulova concluded her speech to the participants.

Technovation member webinars will be hosted by local and international experts on the following topics:

● programming mobile applications (on App Inventor);

● business plan creation, social entrepreneurship;

● shooting video on smartphones, video editing

● preparation of presentations;

● mentoring;

● career in IT;

● Sustainable Development Goals.