An ideathon was organized on the Samarkand campus of School 21 of the School of Digital Technologies with the support of the Ministry of Digital Technologies, IT Park Samarkand and the Center for the Development of Digital Education of Samarkand region. This event brought together technology universities in Samarkand to find IT solutions to the social problems of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

   At the meeting with youth, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the development of digital technologies, support for startups and youth entrepreneurship are among the most important tasks.

   In particular, it is planned to create a fund to support young entrepreneurs and startup projects, as well as to introduce a package of banking services aimed at transforming the ideas and initiatives of young people into real projects.

   During the day, the main educational participants of School 21 and students of the Samarkand branch of TUIT, Samarkand State University, developed various ideas for solving a number of social problems indicated in the paragraph of the Sustainable Development Program, including poverty reduction, ensuring quality education, gender equality, and promoting economic development. Using modern technologies, the participants tried to develop solutions that would help achieve such goals as improving people's lives and ensuring stability in society.

   With the support of experts from School 21 and IT Park Samarkand, the participants studied the main stages of working on a startup, that is, from searching for ideas using design thinking and user insight analysis to an initial assessment of their relevance. They mastered creative thinking methods, as well as the Design Thinking Process, Value Proposition Canvas, and Business Model Canvas tools that help systematize and pack ideas.

   During the day, teams of 2-5 people developed and presented to the audience ideas on projects such as the accessibility of education and healthcare systems, simplification of housing rental for students, job search, and unemployment among the population.

The jury particularly appreciated the following projects:

1st place: EduVerse - an educational platform for creating personalized courses using artificial intelligence technologies. The project focuses on teaching through unique user experience and gamification, which makes the educational process more interesting and effective.

2nd place: Troc - a social project based on a barter system that allows users to exchange goods and services without spending money. The platform contributes to the development of a culture of conscious consumption and supports the idea of mutual assistance in society.

3rd place: MyHealth - a medical digital platform that provides online access to medical services and other interactive methods.

   The authors of the best ideas received commemorative gifts from the organizers, as well as the opportunity to present their projects on the IT Park Samarkand platforms and the privilege of participating in the Central Asian incubator and hackathon from School 21.

   Throughout the year, it is planned to organize three more ideathons on various topics at the School 21 campus in Samarkand, which will allow participants to take a deeper approach to current problems and find practical solutions.

   School 21 is a great opportunity to master a highly sought-after profession for free and become a member of a team that supports and promotes its participants. The next selection "pools" in Tashkent and Samarkand will begin on March 3, applications will be accepted until February 26.

You can submit an application for study at the 21-school.uz link.