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Enhancing local universities’ research capabilities

Release date:
12 June 2023

bp today announced the successful completion of its educational project aimed to help unleash the scientific research potential of Azerbaijan’s State University of Economics (UNEC).

 

The project included several elements – all focused on setting up the university’s professors, researchers, doctor’s  and master’s degree students for success in their academic activities through partnerships with the world’s leading scientific centres. 

 

In his remarks to the forum held at UNEC today to celebrate the success of the project, Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, bp’s vice president for the Caspian region, communications, and external affairs, said:

 

“We designed this project as an extension of our support to UNEC to help them position themselves as a trusted academic partner of international research centres and universities. We hope the project will open the way for the university to join international academic initiatives and as a source of reliable expertise to collaborate with the world’s leading scientific institutions. 
“Earlier, we presented three laboratories to this university in support of its efforts to develop strong research potential. We were honoured to name one of those laboratories – the Food Chemistry laboratory, after Aziz Sancar, world- famous Turkish molecular biologist, Nobel Prize winner  in Chemistry, who personally visited the university in 2021 and inaugurated the bp-presented facility. We hope our projects are a significant contribution to raising the quality of education and enhancing the research capacity of UNEC

 

As part of the project bp:

  • presented a fully automatic Drawell DTR8000 Raman spectrometer to UNEC`s Composite Materials Scientific Research Centre. The device supports research activities in such areas as nanoparticles and new materials, bioscience, materials science, medical analysis, agriculture and food technologies, analysis of water pollution, environmental sciences and  other top-level subject fields.
  • supported five UNEC scientists’ collaboration with Nello Carrara – the Institute of Applied Physics in Florence, and the University of Verona through financing their trips for research and academic studies. As a result of this collaboration, five high quality research papers were produced and presented to international scientific databases such as WoS (Web of Science) and Scopus for publication.
  • helped UNEC build an extensive partnership with Türkiye`s Sakarya University and jointly host three conferences which were attended by representatives of over 50 universities from 19 countries. The events covered such fields as chemical sciences and technologies, humic acids, and inventions in the field of natural sciences and engineering.

The project duration was 13 months (January 2022 - February 2023) and it was implemented by UNEC.

 

The total value of the project is 170,000 AZN ($100,000) which includes the costs of the research equipment, UNEC scientists’ research trips and the three joint conferences.

 

Notes to editors

 

bp has been present in Azerbaijan for 31 years safely, efficiently and reliably operating major oil and gas exploration, development and transportation projects. To date, together with its co-venturers, bp has invested around $84 billion into projects it operates in the country. In Azerbaijan, we are committed to supporting sustainability efforts focusing on the areas where we believe we can make the most difference. 

 

bp’s extensive social investment activities and capacity-building efforts in the country have had a positive impact and brought tangible benefits to people, improving their lives and making a difference.

 

The company’s social investments target such areas as building local capabilities, education, development of communities, local enterprises, the environment, sporting potential as well as research into and promotion of the country’s rich cultural heritage. Overall, since the start, bp itself and together with its co-venturers in the joint ventures that bp operates in Azerbaijan, has spent more than $108 million on social investment projects in this country.

 

In Azerbaijan, bp directly employs around 2,307 Azerbaijani citizens who make over 90 per cent of the company’s professional staff.

 

For more information about bp and its co-venturers’ social investment projects please visit the bp Azerbaijan site at www.bp.com/azerbaijan.

 

Further information

 

Tamam Bayatly at bp’s press office in Baku. 
Telephone: (+994 12) 525 58 95