TEHRAN - An Iranian academic and entrepreneur from Kerman has won the top prize in the Energy, Infrastructure and Transport category at the fourth BRICS WBA Women’s Startup Contest 2026 in New Delhi, India.
Azam Karami, a faculty member at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman and CEO of a knowledge-based company, received the award for her project on the smart detection of faults in railway tracks and bridges using drones and artificial intelligence.
The project seeks to enhance the safety and efficiency of monitoring and maintaining critical infrastructure by combining drone technology with AI-based analysis.
The fourth edition of the BRICS WBA Women’s Startup Contest was held in New Delhi from September 9 to 11 on the margins of the 18th BRICS summit.
Organized under the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, the contest aims to promote women-led startups, foster cross-border business cooperation and connect innovative ventures with investors and business leaders.
More than 506 projects from BRICS member countries competed across six categories. Only 18 projects advanced to the final round, with Karami’s project, representing Iran in the Energy, Infrastructure and Transport category, taking the top spot in its field.
According to the official BRICS WBA website, the 2026 contest selected 26 winners from 14 countries, with winning projects covering areas including energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, healthcare, education, agriculture, robotics and aviation technologies.
Karami is also a member of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance’s Iranian chapter and heads its Working Group on Innovative Development.
The achievement highlights the growing contribution of women-led technology ventures to the development of innovative solutions for infrastructure safety and smart monitoring.
BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies that seeks to strengthen economic and political cooperation among developing countries and increase their role in global affairs.
Founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the group has since expanded to include a wider range of countries from the Global South.
Through initiatives such as the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, the bloc also promotes cooperation in areas including entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and women’s economic participation.