Azerbaijan's Innovation Future Hinges On Talent And Human Capital - Minister

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. Human resources and talent are key to building a successful innovation ecosystem and supporting economic development, Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov said, Trend 's correspondent reports from the event.

He made the remark during his speech at the opening ceremony of the Baku ID 2026 innovation festival held at the SABAH innovation campus.

Jabbarov said that when education, innovation, real economic players, demand and supportive government policies come together, favorable conditions for success are created.

The minister said that the innovation ecosystem being developed in Azerbaijan is highly important in terms of enabling rapid action and creating opportunities for regional impact.

Furthermore, Jabbarov noted that in today's world, it is not right for any country or economy to claim that it knows everything and is the best in every field. "In today's interconnected world, it would be very dangerous for anyone to claim that 'we know everything' or 'we are the best at everything.' The key issue is integration, the flow of ideas, the exchange of experience among people, cross-border operations and investment," the minister stressed.

According to him, alongside focusing on a specific product or service, it is important to create the right environment that enables such products and services to emerge. "As I noted earlier, when education, innovation, real economic players, demand and supportive government policies come together, achieving success becomes simply a matter of time and probability," Jabbarov said.

The minister noted that human resources and talent are the greatest capital for economic development. "Rather than focusing on a specific product or service, it is necessary to create the right environment. Trees, too, grow only when the conditions are right. In this sense, human resources and talent are the greatest capital," he added.

Jabbarov also touched on the role of innovators, saying that those working in this field are the main driving force behind new ideas and innovations. "If I were an innovator, I would not be a minister. The innovators in this room and outside this room are much better than we are, and that is precisely why they are here," the minister noted.

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