Karen Vardanyan Becomes the First Armenian to Receive the Eminent Persons Award

The Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), Karen Vardanyan, has been awarded the "Eminent Persons Award" by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), recognizing his invaluable long-term contribution to the development of the Armenian technology sector.

The "Eminent Persons Award" is given to individuals who have made significant and profound contributions toward improving people's lives. Notably, it is not a mandatory requirement for the awardee's activities to be associated with the technology sector.

Throughout the years, this prestigious award has been received by figures such as Nelson Mandela, Mike Lazaridis, and pioneers of the internet, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf.

Over the past 30 years, Karen Vardanyan's contributions to the IT sector have led to the implementation of several remarkable and foundational projects, including the DigiTech technology exhibition and the "Armat" educational project. Thanks to the latter, more than 280 "Armat" engineering laboratories now operate across Armenia, Artsakh, and Georgia, providing free engineering education to over 7,500 children.

It is also noteworthy that the World Information Technology and Services Alliance is the founder of the annual World Congress on Information Technology, comprising members from more than 80 countries and associations that represent over 90 percent of the global IT market. The congress in Yerevan is expected to host over 4,000 participants from 70 countries.