Uzbekistan and ADB Sign MoU to Nurafshon Future Technologies Center

The meeting was attended by a delegation from the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, led by Minister Sherzod Shermatov, along with Azamat Karamatov, CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan. The Asian Development Bank was represented by a delegation led by Kanokpan Lao-Araya, Country Director of ADB’s Uzbekistan Resident Mission.

The Memorandum was signed by Ayubkhon Sultanov, First Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Yoonee Jeong, Principal Digital Transformation Specialist at ADB’s Digital Sector Department.

The UPGRADE project plans to establish a research and development center in Nurafshan that will integrate research and development activities, high-performance computing infrastructure, specialized technology laboratories, talent development, and mechanisms for the commercialization of technological solutions.

The Ministry of Digital Technologies will serve as the project’s initiating and executing agency, while IT Park Uzbekistan will act as the implementing agency. The project is scheduled for implementation from the second quarter of 2027 through the second quarter of 2032.

The total project cost is estimated at $200 million. Financing is expected to be provided through a sovereign loan from the Asian Development Bank under a state guarantee from the Republic of Uzbekistan.

One of the project’s key objectives is to establish a full-cycle ecosystem covering the entire path from applied research and prototype development to testing, certification, commercialization, and the entry of technological solutions into domestic and international markets.

The project plans to implement 300 research and development projects, incubate 100 technology startups, and create 3,000 jobs in digital and deep-tech fields. Another target is for supported projects to achieve combined annual revenue of at least $50 million.

The project is aimed at strengthening Uzbekistan’s research and technological infrastructure, supporting promising developments and startups, training specialists, and creating additional opportunities for the commercialization of innovative solutions and their expansion into international markets.