Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) hosted the initial stage of the international start-up competition “Finding Innovative and Creative Solutions” supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The competition is jointly organised by Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) of Pakistan. The aim of the competition is to align university teachers and students in one platform for solving global problems with their compelling innovative ideas. A total of 60 teams from 21 higher education institutions of Azerbaijan and 2 teams from 1 university in Kazakhstan participated in the Azerbaijan Chapter of FICS. 9 student teams with their start-up projects represented AzTU in the competition this year. The official part of the event started with the National Anthems of Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Vilayat Valiyev, the rector of Azerbaijan Technical University highlighted the brotherly and partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. He noted importance of continued efforts for building partnership in the fields of education, science, and innovation and emphasized the role of this platform in evaluating knowledge and practical skills and supporting students' ideas.  He mentioned that the number of applications has exceeded 60 this year compared to last year. He wished success to all university students participating in the competition, adding that the winners of the first stage of the competition will qualify for the final stage to be held in Islamabad, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Elmar Gasimov, the rector of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS), expressed his gratitude to the rector of AzTU for the invitation. He noted that such an international competition is a great motivation to reveal the intellectual potential of both BHOS students and Azerbaijani youth in general. The rector thanked BHOS students and their scientific supervisors who mentored them for the international competition for their active participation and wished success to all young people. Shahin Bayramov, the rector of Karabakh University, expressed his satisfaction in participation in such an international event. He noted that as a strategic and young university, it is important for Karabakh University to participate in such projects. He noted that Karabakh University is ready to cooperate with AzTU and prestigious universities of Pakistan in all spheres in the future. Rizvan Riaz, the vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Commercialization of NUST, emphasized this excellent opportunity to reveal the potential of the youth of both countries provided within framework of “Finding Innovative and Creative Solutions” international start-up competition. In conclusion, the vice-rector wished success to the young start-ups participating in the competition. The event continued with an artistic performance of AzTU students, and a video presentation on the international competition. The teams participating in the competition presented their start-up projects before jury in three panels. The winners were evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives of industry and education. The winners were awarded at the end of the event. FICS (Finding Innovative & Creative Solutions) is the largest start-up competition held annually in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan since 2013. AzTU Chapter has been hosting the international event for the second time.

The final stage of the “PASHA Bank Cup VII” programming competition, organized by “Pasha Bank” and with the organizational support of the Institute of Information Technologies and Methodological Support in Education of the Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU), was held for the seventh time in order to support the development of the information technology (IT) sector in the country, to reveal the potential of young people studying in this direction, as well as professionals working in IT, and to improve their skills. Participants of various age groups, including schoolchildren, students and professional programmers, joined the competition, which has been held by “Pasha Bank” since 2019, and tested their programming and algorithmic knowledge. The first two stages of the competition, which consisted of three stages (stage I: data structures, search and sorting algorithms; stage II: dynamic programming, graph theory; topics) were held online. 60 participants who showed high results in the two stages qualified for the final. In the final round held at AzTU, participants were given the task of designing a program for 6 algorithmic problems within 4 hours and testing them on the “HackerRank” platform. According to the results of the competition, winners were determined in 3 categories (pupil, student, professional). The first three winners in each category were awarded valuable gifts by “PASHA Bank” (1st place “MacBook Pro M3”, 2nd place “iPad Pro 11 M4”, 3rd place “Apple watch”). Kenan Askerli, an employee of the Institute of Information Technologies and Methodological Support in Education of AzTU, was awarded 2nd place in the professionals category.

Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU), in collaboration with the Türkiye-Azerbaijan University and Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), successfully hosted the international event titled “Strategic Talks on Innovation & Commercialization for Knowledge Sharing” (STICKS International 2025). This year, for the first time, the event was hosted outside Pakistan – in Azerbaijan. The event aimed to foster university-industry collaboration, support the commercialization of scientific research, promote startup development, and strengthen international partnerships. At the opening session, Rector of AzTU Vilayat Valiyev and NUST Pro-Rector for Research, Innovation and Commercialization Rizwan Riaz addressed the participants, highlighting the importance and goals of the event. The forum featured two main panel discussions: The first panel, titled “Bridging Academia and Industry Across Borders – Perspectives from Pakistan, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan,” focused on cooperation opportunities between universities and industry, the establishment of joint research projects, and the development of innovation ecosystems. The second panel, “Turning Research into Global Impact – Strategies for Cross-Border Commercialization,” explored the commercial potential of scientific outcomes, technology transfer, investment environments, and regional collaboration prospects. STICKS International 2025 was highly appreciated by the participants, who expressed confidence that the event would pave the way for broader scientific collaboration in the future. At the conclusion of the event, AzTU Rector Vilayat Valiyev, TAU Vice-Rector Mehmet Şimşir, and NUST Pro-Rector Rizwan Riaz symbolically pressed a “start” button on stage, launching the “Pakistan–Azerbaijan–Türkiye Innovation Corridor” initiative.

A delegation from Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU), led by Rector Professor Vilayat Valiyev, paid an official visit to Malaysia. The main purpose of the visit was to establish and strengthen cooperation in scientific research, education, and innovation with Malaysia’s leading universities. The delegation also included Professor Subhan Namazov, Vice-rector for science and innovation, and Baxtiyar Badalov, Director of the research and development department. As part of the visit, the delegation visited several of the country’s top higher education institutions, including University Malaya (UM), University Technology MARA (UiTM), University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), INTI International University (INTI), and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). During these meetings, opportunities for inter-university collaboration particularly in engineering, information technologies, innovation, and international rankings were widely discussed, along with proposals for experience-sharing and joint initiatives. During the meeting at University Malaya, Professor Vilayat Valiyev emphasized AzTU's commitment to international partnerships through joint scientific projects, dual-degree programs, student and faculty exchanges, and initiatives aimed at improving performance in global rankings. The parties explored possible areas of collaboration in these directions. Meetings with University Kebangsaan Malaysia and University Technology MARA focused on advancing teaching technologies in engineering, implementing joint research projects, sharing best practices to improve ranking indicators, and promoting innovative initiatives. Letters of Intent were signed with both universities. At Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, discussions centered around joint projects and initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, technological applications, and increasing international visibility. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between AzTU and APU. During the meeting with INTI International University, the parties discussed the implementation of joint projects, academic staff and student exchanges, collaborative conferences and research initiatives, as well as mutual support for improving international rankings. The meeting concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). At International Islamic University Malaysia, discussions covered joint academic programs, collaboration in science and innovation, and participation in international projects. As a result of the visit, significant steps were taken toward expanding AzTU’s international partnership network and integrating into the global scientific community. The visit, carried out under the leadership of Professor Vilayat Valiyev, reflects the successful execution of AzTU’s internationalization strategy and lays a solid foundation for deeper, more systematic, and ranking-driven collaborations in the future.

An event was held at the Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) on May 26 to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Education (MES) and the Ministry of Defense Industry (MODI). The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Science and Education Idris Isayev, Deputy Minister of Defense Industry Hidayat Azimov, Rector of AzTU Vilayat Valiyev, General Director of “Azersilah” Defense Industry Holding” Closed Joint-Stock Company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense Emil Ibrahimov, other senior employees of the Ministry of Defense, teaching and professorial staff of the university, as well as a group of students with high academic performance. First, the participants laid flowers in front of the monument to the great leader Heydar Aliyev and paid tribute to his dear memory. During the signing ceremony, which was underway at the Heydar Aliyev Center of the university, Deputy Minister of Science and Education Idris Isayev gave detailed information about the modern education system, reforms carried out in this area, and admission programs for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees of higher education institutions. The Deputy Minister noted that the cooperation between the Ministry of Defense will enter a new stage with the memorandum to be signed. Idris Isayev reviewed the document, which includes multi-directional cooperation, prepared taking into account the requirements of modern education. He emphasized that it will play a special role in ensuring the demand for personnel training in the defense industry, including the training of highly qualified engineers with modern knowledge and skills in the field of new technologies. Deputy Minister of Defense Industry Hidayat Azimov, in turn, noted the effective cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and its scientific and research institutes, as well as higher and vocational education institutions, in order to train qualified personnel in the defense industry, improve sectoral specialists and further develop innovative engineering, and the importance of expanding relations in this area. Hidayat Azimov noted that the memorandum creates broad opportunities for ensuring the demand for personnel in priority development areas of our country, including the training of highly qualified engineers in the field of new technologies, and that this document is of great importance in terms of the development of industry-university relations in the modern era. AzTU rector Vilayat Valiyev, in his speech, noted that effective cooperation relations have been established between the higher education institution which he heads and the Ministry of Defense. He noted that based on the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers and the initiative of the Ministry of Defense, he emphasized that the Faculty of Special Techniques and Technology has been successfully operating at AzTU since 2012, and most of the graduates who have achieved high achievements during their studies have successfully worked at the institutions of the Ministry of Defense. The rector brought to attention that a new strategy has been developed in accordance with the requirements of the modern era regarding personnel training in the defense industry. Then a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed. At the end of the event, the guests got acquainted with the technological capabilities and perspective projects created by AzTU on the basis of the material and technical base of the higher education institution in order to implement modern educational programs.

The II Republican Scientific-Practical Conference “Digital Medicine 4.0: Problems, Opportunities and Prospects” was held at the Institute of Information Technologies of the Ministry of Science and Education, organized by the Ministry of Health, the Health Committee of the Milli Majlis, the National Oncology Center, Azerbaijan Medical University, the Institute of Information Technologies, Azerbaijan Technical University and the Institute of Biophysics. The event was attended by heads of relevant state agencies of the country, higher education institutions, ANAS, as well as scientists and specialists from scientific-research institutes of the Ministry of Science and Education, and media representatives. The purpose of the conference is to increase attention to the need to solve many science-intensive issues, such as the collection, processing and exchange of large-scale digital health and medical data generated in Azerbaijan in the context of digital transformation, the creation and application of various medical information systems based on artificial intelligence technologies, and to organize an intellectual dialogue platform for discussing existing problems, opportunities and prospects in the direction of forming the conceptual and architectural-technological foundations of the country's healthcare infrastructure in the context of Industry 4.0 challenges. At the opening ceremony of the event, the Vice-President of ANAS, Director General of the Institute of Information Technologies of the Academy of Sciences, Academician Rasim Aliguliyev, said that the conference dedicated to digital medicine problems is of great importance in terms of research conducted in the relevant field, discussions of achievements and existing problems, as well as the definition of new tasks. Emphasizing that the issue of applying artificial intelligence in medicine has become even more relevant in the context of global challenges in the modern era, Academician R. Aliguliyev also highlighted the importance of training highly qualified personnel in the fields of medical informatics, data sciences, digital health, cybersecurity, and digital forensics in our country. Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Associate Professor Nadir Zeynalov noted that digitalization has penetrated all spheres of society's life in the modern era. N. Zeynalov emphasized that digital solutions open up unlimited opportunities in the field of medicine and are of strategic importance, and are widely used in diagnosing patients, supporting doctors, etc. He added that digital solutions and expert systems provide doctors with recommendations in the decision-making process by using the information collected in this field when difficulties arise in determining the treatment method. Also speaking at the conference, Professor Nurali Yusifbeyli, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Azerbaijan Technical University, and others noted that the conference is of great importance in terms of creating new opportunities for solving scientific-theoretical and practical problems of digital medicine. Then, the conference continued its work with the section sessions entitled “Scientific-theoretical problems of the formation of digital medicine” and “Scientific-practical problems of the application of digital technologies in medicine”.

Vahid Garousi, a professor at Queen's University Belfast, UK, and a member of the World Association of Azerbaijani Scholars (DAAB), will work as a visiting professor at Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU). Vahid Garousi will teach at AzTU in the fields of science and research, as well as software engineering, as well as university-industry cooperation. AzTU Rector Vilayat Valiyev met with Vahid Garousi and wished him success in his activities.

An educational event on the topic of “Joint struggle against drugs” was held jointly organized by Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) and the “Youth Anti-Drug” Public Union. Representatives of the State Commission for Combating Drug Addiction and Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics, the Main Drug Control Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Baku City Narcological Dispensary and the “Youth Anti-Drug” Public Union participated in the event. Safa Bagirov, Head of the Communication Department of AzTU, spoke about the danger of drug use to human life. He invited students to stay away from bad habits, engage in sports and show interest in useful activities such as education, science and personal development. Vasif Guliyev, representative of the State Commission for Combating Drug Addiction and Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics, noted that the fight against drug addiction is one of the state’s priority areas and the importance of continuous education of young people in this regard. He especially emphasized that AzTU is one of the higher education institutions that educates students about the fight against drug addiction. Chief of the Investigation Bureau of the Main Drug Control Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Police Captain Najaf Aydınoğlu brought the latest statistical information on the fight against drugs to the attention of students. He said that drug lords, by penetrating the social networks where young people are active using all kinds of technical means, not only turn their lives into hell, but also keep them in a state of dependence by threatening to spread their personal information everywhere through blackmail. He advised young people not to fall into such traps and to be vigilant. Gunay Aliyeva, a doctor-narcologist of the Baku City Narcological Dispensary, explained in detail to students the consequences of using narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The chairman of the “Youth Anti-Drug” Public Union, Bullur Mammadova, said that continuous awareness-raising events are held in the field of combating drug addiction, and that the organization has 20 years of experience in this field, and often visits victims of drug addiction. She called on young people to carefully choose their circle and friends, and to actively participate in such awareness-raising events. At the end of the event, a video clip on the topic of “Fighting Drug Addiction” was shown.

A delegation led by the rector of Sivas Cumhuriyet University of Turkey, Professor Ahmed Sengonul, visited Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU). The guests met with AzTU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Nurali Yusifbeyli, and representatives of the university. Mehmet Shimshir, Vice-Rector of Turkey-Azerbaijan University (TAU), also attended the meeting. Vice-Rector Nurali Yusifbeyli welcomed the guests and expressed his satisfaction with seeing them at AzTU. The vice-rector provided detailed information on the work done at the university in the field of science and research, the implemented dual diploma programs and projects, as well as the innovations brought by AzTU to the education sector of Azerbaijan. Representatives of Sivas Cumhuriyet University, in turn, made a presentation on the university's areas of activity. During the meeting, an exchange of views was held on establishing cooperation between AzTU and Sivas Cumhuriyet University. Proposals were made on the establishment of joint research centers that would be beneficial for both universities, joint cooperation at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels of education, and the preparation of joint research projects. Issues related to faculty and student exchange and organizing joint events initiated by universities were also discussed.

The Trade Union Committee (TUC) and the Student Trade Union Committee (STUC) of Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) are implementing various projects for the effective organization of the leisure time of employees and students. Within the framework of the next project, employees and students watched the play “A Lamp Burning in Yerevan” staged by the Jafar Jabbarly Yerevan State Azerbaijan Drama Theater based on the one-act mystical historical play “A Lamp Burning in Yerevan” by the prominent poet-playwright, public figure Hidayat Orujov. The work, which is based on the history of the lamp entrusted to Ravangulu Khan, the governor of the Yerevan Fortress, by the founder and first ruler of the Azerbaijani Safavid state, Shah Ismail Khatai, as a symbol of eternity, deeply penetrates the anatomy of the genocide and deportations committed by Armenian nationalists against our people. The historical work “The Lamp Lit in Yerevan” written by the Azerbaijani writer Sultan Oguz, who lived and worked in Yerevan towards the end of the Soviet era (perceived as the author’s prototype), on this subject, infuriates the rabid Armenian nationalists who are obsessed with the national existence of our people in Western Azerbaijan to such an extent that they set a tempting trap for him. The enemies resort to a trick to discredit and eliminate the writer who portrayed the truth in a historical novel because they have taken the lamp lit by Shah Ismail in Yerevan as their own, and present the work for the highest award of the former Soviet state. The militant artist opposes this plan in order to thwart the intentions of the enemies and save the historical truth, and refuses to accept the award. Throughout the play, the spirit of Shah Ismail appears repeatedly and calls on our people to be vigilant and militant against the treachery of the enemies. The devilish role of Armenian women in the open and secret aggressions against our national existence is reflected in the play with subtle touches. At the end of the performance, the lamp extinguished in Yerevan is solemnly lit on stage as a symbol of the defeat of Armenia's treacherous policy. It should be noted that about 200 employees and about 300 students participated in the performance, which was presented on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theater. AzTU HIK and THIK will continue to organize such events in the future.