TBILISI, 15-16 SEPTEMBER 2020

2nd STRATEGEAST STATE AND IT EURASIAN FORUM

TBILISI, 15-16 SEPTEMBER 2020

Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel and Livestream Broadcast

The IT sector in the Eurasian countries is not only a tool to transform the region’s economy from a resource-oriented model to a knowledge-driven one. It creates an opportunity to uproot some of the most fundamental plights of the region – corruption, systematic breach of the intellectual property rights, the absence of the rule of law.

The 2nd StrategEast State and IT Eurasian Forum will discuss ideas on technology as a remedy and will gather the global and the local representatives of the private sector, the governments and the financial institutions. It will provide a unique opportunity to continue a discussion of what needs to be done in order to enhance the innovative economy across the region, and to assist the Eurasian countries to integrate into the global economic and security system.

The forum serves as a unique platform to maintain a lively dialogue between the governments of Eurasian countries and the leaders of the global IT industry. The event is striving to facilitate a more efficient and dynamic development of the IT industry in the region despite the topical challenges.

LEAD TOPIC:

TECHNOLOGY AS A REMEDY

Forum goals:

  • To identify common opportunities and challenges of the IT sector in the Eurasian and Baltic countries;
  • To suggest practical solutions to the existing challenges in the fields of legislation, taxation and IPR;
  • To attract international IT companies and venture funds to the potential of the IT industry in the region;
  • To share best practices, experience and knowledge regarding the relations between the government and the IT sector.

Forum participants: 

  • Senior representatives of the USA and the EU governments and state agencies;
  • Senior representatives of the governments of the Eurasian and Baltic states;
  • Global IT companies, VC funds, investment banks;
  • Heads of IT associations and leaders of the IT sector from the region.

The Forum Agenda (Tbilisi time; GMT +4 hours)

September 15th: Opening Ceremony

17:30 – 18:30
Participants registration & Welcome coffee
18:30 – 19:00
Opening remarks

by Anatoly Motkin, President, StrategEast; Arkadiy Dobkin, Founder and President, EPAM Systems, and Dr. Kaush Arha, Senior Adviser for Strategic Engagement to USAID Administrator

19:00 – 19:50
Keynote speech

by Professor Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

20:00 – 22:00
Special reception for the forum participants

September 16th: Plenary Day

09:00 – 10:00
Participants registration & Welcome coffee

Plenary sessions

10:00 – 11:15 
State in a smartphone: Digital transformation of public services

Not only local companies in the region, but also the states of Eurasia themselves are undergoing a process of digital transformation. Among the leaders are Estonia, Ukraine, Georgia. Is it possible to apply and develop universal, standardized solutions for all countries of Eurasia? What could be the role of open source projects?

Moderator: Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus

Speakers: 

Bokhodir Ayupov, Chief Investment Officer, IT-Park Uzbekistan
Oleksandr Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Evgeny Koren, Country Manager, Microsoft Belarus
Zurab Sanikidze, Chairman of Public Service Development Agency, Ministry of Justice of Georgia
Vitalie Tarlev, Secretary of State for IT&Communications, Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure of the Republic of Moldova

11:30 – 12:45 
The future tech labor market in Eurasia

The digital economy in each of the countries of Eurasia suffers from a lack of qualified specialists. And many of them are also leaving their countries to work in the West. How to increase the throughput of the local education system significantly and to prevent the brain drain?

Moderator: Anatoly Motkin, President, StrategEast

Speakers: 

R. Michael Cowgill, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia
Christopher W. Edwards, USAID Regional Mission Director for Central Asia
Catalin Gherman, Deputy Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union in Georgia
Michael Honigstein, Political and Economic Counselor, U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia
Irakli Nadareishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

12:45 – 14:00
Networking lunch

Breakout sessions 14:00 – 14:50

The IT industry in Georgia

Georgia’s IT industry is developing with significant government support. Four high-tech parks were created with state funds. Were these government investments effective and what would help the Georgian IT industry to get an extra boost?

Moderator: Mariam Sumbadze, Director, Georgian ICT Cluster 

Speakers:

Giorgi Alexidze, CIO, Axios Holding
Avtandil Kasradze, Chairman, Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency
Givi Sartania, CEO, Wandio LLC
David Zerah, Partner, Mentor, Director, Webiz

The digital financial solutions

The financial industry has undergone significant changes during the epidemic and lockdown. In many countries, legislation has been urgently changed, allowing financial institutions to provide more online services. How to maintain the desired level of cybersecurity in the new environment?

Moderator: Giorgi Iashvili, Co-Founder, CEO, Georgian Information Security Association

Speakers: 

Natan Avidan, Founder, CEO, Kernolab, Advisor, BigWallet
Nikoloz Gagua, Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia
Natia Gvazava, CLO, Identomat Inc.
David Papuashvil, Deputy Head of the Specialized Risk Department, National Bank of Georgia

Central Asia as a digital hub of Eurasia

The World Bank Digital CASA  project will connect Central Asia with both Europe and Asia digitally, and speed up Internet access for millions of local residents, including remote areas. How can local authorities use the new infrastructure to create their own IT industry?

Moderator: Baizhan Kanafin, CEO, Documentolog

Speakers: 

Pavel Koktyshev, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Zerde National Infocommunication Holding
Bakhtovar Makhmadullozoda, Head of Department of Social Sphere Development, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan
Sandjar Saidkhodjaev, Digital Development Specialist, Digital Development Practice, World Bank
Aziz Soltobaev, Founder, Kyrgyz Internet Society; Co-Author of National Program of Digital Transformation of Kyrgyz Republic

Breakout sessions 15:00 – 15:50

Startups in Eurasia – Investments and environment

Each of the countries of Eurasia creates the conditions for the growth of startups in its IT parks and special zones. Some invest in startups with budget resources. How to attract investment in local startups, and then keep the startup from moving to a more profitable jurisdiction?

Moderator: Colin Donohue, Director, Startup Grind Tbilisi; Founder, Starpoint Ventures

Speakers: 

Rashad Azizov, Head of Innovations and Digital Development Department, Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan
Alfredo Coppola, Co-CEO, US Market Access Center
Mariam Lashkhi, Deputy Chairperson,  Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency
Toghrul Samadov, Founder, CEO, Buglance
Dilshod Zufarov, CEO, Uzbekistan Venture Capital Association

Digital transformation of SMEs

Large enterprises invest heavily in digital transformation, ordering the development of unique technological solutions. What about small and medium-sized businesses that cannot afford such expenses? What shelf solutions for SME digital transformation are offered in Eurasia? Can states facilitate the regulatory component of digitalization for SMEs, and can international financial institutions provide investment in digitalization?

Moderator: Viktor Baramia, Senior Program Manager, Europe Foundation

Speakers: 

John Hugo Freddy Braeckeveldt, Chairman of the Board, European Business Association in Georgia
Irakli Gogoladze, Director, Iknow LLC; Founding member, Georgian ICT Cluster
Ihar Kruhlik, SME Digital Development, EPAM Systems
Ifeyinwa Uchenna Onugha, Senior Private Sector Specialist, World Bank


Breakout sessions 16:00 – 16:50

COVID-19 – Technology as a remedy

What contribution has the global IT industry made to the fight against the spread of coronavirus? What IT projects to combat the pandemic were developed with the help of specialists from Eurasia and then spread around the world? Could the Eurasian states join forces with the IT industry in the fight against the crisis?

Moderator: Kseniya Bukshina, Director, Tak publishing 

Speakers:

Dr. Gregory Asmolov, King’s College, London
Romi Davidor, Director & Co-founder, CatalystIL community
Jonas Onland, Senior Advisor, Innovation & Upscaling, Member Partnership Digital Transformation of the Urban Agenda, Association of Dutch Municipalities

Global development agencies in Eurasia

The IT industry in Eurasia has become not only an economic, but also a socio-political phenomenon. Around the industry has formed a new class of people with modern global thinking, focusing on traditional Western values. How can global aid agencies take advantage of this in the framework of their tasks and missions?

Moderator: Ketevan Gabelia, Associate Banker, EBRD

Speakers: 

Dr. Kaush Arha, Senior Adviser for Strategic Engagement to USAID Administrator
Alexander Gogoberidze, Regional Manager for the South Caucasus, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Oleksii Sobolev, CEO, Prozorro.Sale

Breakout sessions 17:00 – 17:50

Artificial intelligence in Eurasia

Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic countries – have become one of the world leaders in creating technological solutions in the field of artificial intelligence. But today, most of the solutions are exported as code, not a product. How can the economies of the Eurasian countries get the greatest effect from the decisions that are developed in these countries?

Moderator: Ana Chubinidze, AI Policy Exchange Expert; Founding Editorial Board Member, Springer Nature

Speakers: 

Irakli Beridze, Head, Centre for AI and Robotics, UNICRI, United Nations
Dr. Khatuna Burkadze, Professor, Business and Technology University
Dachi Choladze, CEO, PulsarAI
Nino Esakia, Government and Public Sector Leader, EY Georgia
Gary Fowler, CEO, President, and Co-founder, GSD Venture Studios



Digital resilience: Sustaining digital transformation

Digital transformation is leading a new era of change around the world. In 2016, the digital economy accounted for 16% of global GDP, and without considering the impact of Covid-19, had been projected to increase to 26% by 2020. Considering this growth, a country’s digital resilience and ability to develop technology-driven operational capabilities are becoming increasingly important. Digital resilience framework can leverage technologies to make government, business and society more resilient, and quickly adapt to changing circumstances, withstand and bounce back from crises and shocks, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keynote address: Rafal Rohozinski, Principal, SecDev Group

Moderator: Oleg Petrov, World Bank, Senior Digital Development Specialist

Speakers: 

Altynbek Ismailov, Chairman of the State Committee of Information Technology and Communications of Kyrgyz Republic
Arman Abdrasilov, Chair of JSC National Infocommunication Holding Zerde
Bobur Abdullaev, Director of Amity University
Irakli Gvenetadze, Independent ICT expert, Former Chairman of the Georgian Data Exchange Agency
Melissa Hathaway, President of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC, Former Cybersecurity Advisor, George W. Bush and Barack Obama Administrations, Harvard Kennedy School, Former Senior Advisor on Cyber Security
Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus
New education for the new economy

Leading IT companies are increasingly taking on the educational centers’ roles, opening their academies and universities. Currently, there are two parallel training systems on the market: one is operated by the traditional universities, the other one – by the companies. How to integrate these systems into a single, most effective one, which would be flexible enough to meet the industry’s need for new specialists.

Moderator: Irakli Kashibadze, CEO, Future Laboratory Georgia

Speakers: 

Nino Enukidze, Rector, Business and Technology University
Tamar Kitiashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia
Dr. Sandra Loughlin, Managing Principal and Head, Learning Advisory Practice, EPAM Systems
Dmytro Yeriomin, Member of the Supervisory Board, UNIT.City

Closing session 18:00 – 18:30

PARTNERS

epam

LOCATION

Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel

First Republic Square 1, Tbilisi 108, Georgia

StrategEast is a strategic center with the mission to reinforce the values of the rule of law and intellectual property protection in Eurasian and Baltic countries through the transition from natural-resource-based to knowledge-driven economy.

Our work is focused on the 14 countries, which proclaimed or restored their independence after the collapse of the USSR: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

StrategEast is a registered 501(c)3 organization based in the United States.

For more information about StrategEast, please visit our website strategeast.org

CONTACTS

Vakhtang Asanidze (coordination in Georgia) 

 vakhtang.asanidze@strategeast.org

+995 555 91 09 26

Tetiana Voitovych (general coordination) 

tetiana.voitovych@strategeast.org

+380 95 133 8102

Head Office

office@strategeast.org

1900 K Street, NW
Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20006