Saturday, 12 December 2015
Prime Minister Abrahamyan: Government Ready to Fund New IT Projects
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan traveled to Vanadzor town, which is hosting the Hackathon [YAN] Childhood 2015 contest-festival of innovative ideas and programming, held at basic school N22 after Stepan Zoryan.
The participating teams, which mostly consist of software developers must develop and submit to the jury their innovative ideas and the prototype of the application of the proposed program (demonstration version). The event is attended by about 250 young people from Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and other towns of Armenia.
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan talked to the participants of the contest in order to get acquainted with their innovative ideas and projects. Welcoming the contest, the Head of Government emphasized that the IT sector has a great potential for development in our country.
“The government has provided tax benefits to start-up IT companies. Some 40 new companies have already been established. The IT sector is a government priority, and we stand ready to fund new projects so that we could boast greater advance in this field. We have great development potential in this area, with 25 percent growth stated annually. Youth should be oriented toward the IT industry as it has a great future,” the Prime Minister told reporters.
Last year’s first-ever edition was held outside of Yerevan - in the technological center of Gyumri. This year Hackathon [YAN] is held in Vanadzor, which will help promote the growth of interest in the field of youth education and IT Innovations and stimulate the overall development process.
On December 12-13, the teams in attendance will be developing new versions of web and mobile solutions, which will be submitted to the jury. The participants can offer solutions to any problems of local and international platform. Not only will they be able to realize their ideas by developing applications that can be downloaded all over the world, but also they will be able to solve problem, try to implement different ideas, as well as enjoy a good opportunity for cooperation and investment.
The contest is expected to provide prototypes of finished programs in various areas of applications and solutions that have the potential to enter the Armenian and international markets. The best teams will get different prizes.
Prime Minister Abrahamyan next called at the construction site of the Vanadzor Technopark to inspect the ongoing activities. Proceeding in accordance with the established timetable, the construction activities will be complete next May.
Pleased with the progress, Hovik Abrahamyan instructed those responsible to strictly observe the quality criteria. Two research centers and over 20 companies will be operating in the Vanadzor industrial park.
