Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The achievement demonstrated the country’s potential in science, engineering, and technology at a prestigious international competition that brought together young people from nearly 190 countries.

Following the competition, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed a decree entitled “On Rewarding the Winners of the International Robotics Competition and Their Coaches.” A ceremony honoring the winning team members and their coaches was held the same day at the Inno Innovative Educational and Production Technopark.

The ceremony was attended by Erkinjon Turdimov, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies; and Alisher Sadullayev, Director of the Youth Affairs Agency. They presented awards to the winners and their coaches.

Addressing the ceremony, Erkinjon Turdimov emphasized the importance of young people’s achievements in science and technology for the country’s future.

“This recognition is also a great expression of trust in every young person in our country who strives for knowledge and is capable of creating something new. I believe that the technologies you create will serve the development of industry, the saving of water and energy, and the improvement of people’s lives in the future,” he said.

At the competition, Uzbekistan’s national team secured gold medals in two key categories. The first alliance, comprising the teams of Uzbekistan, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Moldova, won the final and received the competition’s Winning Alliance title. In addition, Uzbekistan’s national team received the gold medal in the main FIRST Global Grand Challenge Award category as the team with the highest score in the competition.

First Global is an international initiative that promotes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among young people. The organization is associated with the FIRST movement, founded by American inventor Dean Kamen, president of the research company DEKA and creator of the Segway.

Held under the theme “Ignite Innovation,” the 2026 competition challenged participants to complete robotics tasks inspired by global issues related to preventing forest fires, mitigating their consequences, and supporting recovery efforts. Through these tasks, young people gained practical experience in applying technical knowledge, developing innovative solutions, and collaborating in international teams.

Uzbekistan’s victory represents not only a significant achievement in an international robotics competition, but also reflects ongoing efforts to encourage young people’s interest in science, engineering, and modern technologies.