SOCAR WIN enables selected startups and scaleups to work directly with SOCAR business units and validate their technologies through a funded Proof of Concept (PoC) in real-world energy operations.
Applications close 22.09.2026. Limited spots available.
WIN – What Is Next? – is SOCAR’s open innovation platform designed to systematically explore, test, and scale next-generation solutions across its energy and industrial operations.
Energy systems are transforming. Digitalization is accelerating. Operational complexity is increasing. In this environment, innovation cannot remain confined to internal R&D or isolated pilots. It needs to be structured, challenge-driven, and focused on implementation.
At SOCAR, innovation is a strategic instrument for improving asset performance, strengthening operational resilience, advancing decarbonization, and enhancing competitiveness in global energy markets.
WIN is designed to:
WIN is the mechanism that turns “what is next” into operational reality.
Most accelerators offer mentorship and a demo day. SOCAR WIN gives you a real site, a real problem owner, and a real budget to prove your technology works at industrial scale.
No equity taken. A funded pilot to validate your solution inside SOCAR's live operational environment.
You won't pitch to a panel and wait. You work hand in hand with the SOCAR business unit that owns the challenge, from scoping to measurement.
Successful PoCs do not end at a report. They can progress toward deployment decisions, commercial discussions, and scaling opportunities across SOCAR’s operations.
Over six months, we worked with 16 companies across the SOCAR Group to identify and assess more than 240 real operational challenges. These challenges are grouped into eight key innovation domains. We invite startups and technology companies to propose innovative solutions to address them.
Find and extract hydrocarbons from increasingly challenging environments: deepwater, unconventional reservoirs, and mature fields.
Examples: advanced exploration tech, enhanced recovery, reservoir intelligence, drilling optimization.
Cut costs and optimize resource use by refining processes and asset management across the value chain.
Examples: predictive maintenance, energy efficiency, process optimization, asset health monitoring.
Bring new technology to core business functions: operations, finance, HR, supply chain, sales, and customer service.
Examples: ERP modernization, process automation, procurement intelligence, enterprise analytics.
Protect people, facilities, and the environment with smarter monitoring and prevention.
Examples: computer-vision safety, worker wearables, incident management.
Transform operations through IoT, AI, robotics, and data analytics, driving automation and real-time intelligence.
Examples: digital twins, SCADA modernization, AI/ML analytics, IIoT platforms, drone & robotic inspection.
Reduce SOCAR's environmental footprint with technologies that cut emissions and waste.
Examples: methane/GHG monitoring, carbon capture (CCUS), water treatment, flaring reduction.
Look beyond traditional oil & gas: alternative energy sources and transition technologies.
Examples: hydrogen, ammonia, renewables integration, energy storage, e-mobility.
Have something that does not fit neatly above but solves a real industrial problem? We still want to hear from you.
Behind every focus area is a set of real operational needs identified together with SOCAR teams. We have translated these needs into solution themes that highlight where new technologies can create the greatest value. If your solution maps to any of these areas, we want to hear from you.
Enhance pipeline reliability, integrity, and operational visibility through advanced monitoring, diagnostics, and data-driven technologies.
We're looking for: corrosion management, integrity assessment, leak detection and localization, advanced sensing, and gas-network modernization solutions.
Improve equipment reliability, extend asset life, and reduce unplanned downtime through predictive, condition-based, and sensor-driven maintenance technologies.
We're looking for: condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, equipment-health analytics, failure prediction, and advanced sensor solutions.
Strengthen real-time operational visibility and decision-making across pipelines, processing facilities, and industrial assets through connected and intelligent control technologies.
We're looking for: digital twins, SCADA modernization, smart-grid solutions, real-time operational monitoring, and advanced control systems.
Strengthen workplace safety, risk prevention, and HSE performance through connected digital platforms, intelligent monitoring, and automation.
We're looking for: occupational safety platforms, incident management, permit-to-work automation, gas and leak detection, computer-vision safety, worker monitoring, and compliance solutions.
Advance emissions reduction and carbon-management capabilities through technologies that enable better measurement, monitoring, reporting, and mitigation.
We're looking for: carbon-accounting automation, methane and GHG monitoring, CCUS technologies, emissions reduction, and ESG/emissions reporting solutions.
Improve energy performance and resource efficiency across industrial operations through continuous monitoring, optimization, and energy-recovery technologies.
We're looking for: energy-consumption optimization, waste-heat recovery, renewable-energy integration, process optimization, and energy-management solutions.
Improve industrial water management, treatment, reuse, and environmental performance through smarter monitoring and resource-recovery technologies.
We're looking for: industrial wastewater treatment, water reuse and recycling, real-time water-quality monitoring, resource recovery, and environmental water-management solutions.
Unlock greater value from enterprise data by enabling integrated access, advanced analytics, visualization, and faster data-driven decision-making.
We're looking for: unified data platforms, enterprise analytics, dashboards, data integration, business intelligence, and decision-support tools.
Apply AI and machine learning to improve prediction, optimization, automation, knowledge access, and decision-making across SOCAR's operations and business functions.
We're looking for: AI-powered analytics, machine-learning models, LLM integration, intelligent automation, and predictive, prescriptive, and generative AI solutions.
Simplify and accelerate business processes through intelligent workflows, digital orchestration, and end-to-end automation.
We're looking for: robotic process automation (RPA), workflow digitization, intelligent document processing, approval automation, and end-to-end process automation.
Enable more connected field operations, faster information exchange, and improved customer experiences through mobile and digital technologies.
We're looking for: mobile field-operations applications, field-to-office connectivity, digital customer solutions, retail-station digitization, and mobile data-collection tools.
Build more integrated, scalable, and connected enterprise technology environments that improve visibility and support future business needs.
We're looking for: ERP modernization, legacy-system transformation, enterprise integration, API-based connectivity, and system-consolidation solutions.
Improve speed, transparency, traceability, and decision-making across procurement, supply chain, vendor management, and inventory processes.
We're looking for: procurement optimization, vendor assessment, tender management, inventory and spare-parts tracking, supply-chain analytics, and end-to-end visibility solutions.
Enhance workforce readiness, technical competency, and safe learning through immersive and simulation-based technologies.
We're looking for: VR/AR training, digital simulation environments, virtual operational scenarios, competency-assessment tools, and immersive workforce-development solutions.
Improve how corporate information, documents, contracts, and institutional knowledge are captured, processed, accessed, and managed.
We're looking for: contract lifecycle management, document workflow digitization, intelligent document processing, digital archives, enterprise search, and knowledge-management solutions.
Our challenge landscape continues to evolve. If your technology solves a real industrial or business problem in energy, we still want to hear from you. Strong solutions can be connected with the most relevant SOCAR business units.
SOCAR WIN is designed for startups and scaleups that have moved past the idea stage and are ready to prove their solution in a live industrial environment.
Submit your application through our online portal.
Applications are evaluated based on technology maturity, problem–solution fit, implementation readiness, and scalability.
Meet the SOCAR business units behind the challenge, understand the operational context, and explore the opportunity under NDA.
Develop and present a tailored use case based on the insights gained during the deep-dive sessions.
Selected startups are announced, PoC agreements are signed, and pilot planning begins.
Implement the pilot with defined KPIs, regular progress reviews, and close collaboration with SOCAR business units.
Present PoC outcomes to SOCAR leadership. Successful pilots will be evaluated for potential scale-up and long-term collaboration.
Up to $20,000 in PoC funding, no equity taken
A dedicated business-unit sponsor who owns the challenge and clears internal blockers
On-site access to SOCAR operations for KPI co-design and pilot execution
A rollout decision: not just feedback, but a Go / Conditional Go / No-Go commitment
Ecosystem visibility: present at Innovation Day alongside SOCAR leadership
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan, SOCAR operates at every stage of the energy value chain, including the exploration, production, processing, transportation, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, gas condensates, and petrochemical products, both domestically and internationally. Its mission is to contribute to sustainable development and energy security at the local, regional, and international levels by combining its extensive experience in oil and gas operations with modern technology and know-how. With a strong focus on energy transition, innovation, and digitalization, SOCAR maintains a global presence through its representative offices in more than 10 countries.
Startups and scaleups worldwide with a solution at TRL 5 or above, meaning you have at least a working prototype. Your technology should address one of our focus areas or challenge themes, and your team should be ready to commit to a 2-month pilot.
Check our Challenge Map. It lists the solution areas and operational needs identified together with SOCAR business units. If your technology maps to any of them, you are a strong fit. If it solves a real industrial energy problem that is not listed, apply anyway.
Selected startups receive up to $20,000 to cover the costs of running and measuring the pilot. No equity is taken in exchange.
The Proof-of-Concept runs for 2 months, with defined KPIs, regular progress check-ins, and operational support from the relevant SOCAR business unit.
Yes. You retain ownership of your intellectual property, subject to the terms of the applicable PoC agreement. Deep-dive sessions are conducted under a mutual NDA to protect confidential information shared by both sides.
Yes. SOCAR WIN welcomes applicants from anywhere in the world. The PoC phase may require on-site engagement in Azerbaijan depending on the nature and requirements of the pilot.
At Innovation Day, SOCAR leadership reviews each pilot and issues a formal decision: Go (proceed to rollout), Conditional Go (proceed with defined adjustments), or No-Go. Successful pilots may progress toward broader deployment and long-term commercial collaboration.
No. There is no application fee. Selected PoCs receive funding from SOCAR in accordance with the program terms.
