Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The SAP Next-Gen Lab opened in Inha University in Tashkent, where students and teachers of the university will be engaged in developing and testing IT solutions for private and public companies of the republic using blockchain technologies, the Internet of things, augmented reality, machine learning and computer vision.

“On the eve of the Navruz holiday, we are opening the doors of the SAP Next-Gen Lab in Tashkent. This platform is an opportunity for students to gain new knowledge, to increase competitiveness not only in Uzbekistan, but also outside the Republic. Professionals who are familiar with the SAP technology valuable personnel on the market. We are pleased that students in Uzbekistan have the opportunity to work with modern IT solutions already at the training stage,” Olimjon Umarov, First Deputy Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said.

“In the era of transition to a digital economy, the market is in dire need of qualified IT specialists. Solving real-world problems with the help of advanced technologies will allow Inha University students to increase their competencies. And this means that the obtained expertise will help in implementation of national projects on the digitization of the country,” Ilya Yuriev, SAP director for CIS countries, commented.

The strategic task of Inha University is to train specialists in the field of information and communication technologies at the level of international standards. This is especially important during the digital transformation of Uzbekistan. At the same time, the SAP Next-Gen Lab format has successfully established itself worldwide as an innovative approach that allows students to gain practical problem solving skills using digital technologies.

To work on each project, the laboratory will be equipped with the necessary technical equipment: computers, 3D printers, augmented reality headset. In addition, students and teachers will be given access to SAP platform solutions for prototyping using the latest technologies. The format of student work includes project workshops, hackathons, master classes and trainings.

“Inha University is continuously working to improve both educational and research processes. It is important that university Alliance training programs are available for both students and teachers. Such an approach gives a multiplicative effect - colleagues can increase their competencies, and graduates are ready to work on real business tasks from the moment they receive their diploma,” Muzaffar Mukhitdinovich Jalalov, Acting Rector of Inha University in Tashkent, said.

“I am confident that the practical skills acquired at the SAP Next-Gen Lab will be used in the interests of industrial, state and commercial enterprises of the Republic,” said Laziz Adhamov, managing director of SAP Uzbekistan.

The SAP Next-Gen Lab is an initiative of the SAP University Alliance. On the basis of universities, innovative laboratories are created in which students work on real projects. Tasks for teams are set by SAP customers and partners. More than 100 such laboratories have been open all over the world, 4 of which are in the CIS: Children’s Center COAF Smart Center (Lori, Armenia), ENU. L.N.Gumilyov (Astana, Kazakhstan), IITU (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Inha University (Tashkent, Uzbekistan).