At the invitation of the "Enterprise Azerbaijan" portal, operated by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), professors, faculty, and students from Hungary's Mathias Corvinus Collegium visited Baku and held meetings at several institutions.
The events, themed "Cross-Border Innovation: Strengthening Azerbaijan-Hungary Friendship," aimed to strengthen Azerbaijan's innovation policy through international cooperation by engaging foreign scientists, experienced specialists, entrepreneurs, and young startup students.
The first meeting was organized at SABAH.HUB, where the guests were introduced to the activities of the Acceleration and Incubation Center and met with resident startups during an info tour led by Orkhan Abbasov, a member of the institution's Management Board. Following this, in a meeting with Amina Malikova, manager of the "SABAH.Academy" project, discussions focused on Azerbaijan’s innovation policy within higher education institutions, the integration of education and industry, and ways to foster entrepreneurship.
The next meeting was held at the Small and Medium Business Development Agency. The delegation was introduced to the working principles of the residents of the SME House and received detailed answers to their inquiries. Zaur Gardashov, advisor to the chairman of the Board of Directors of SMBDA, discussed innovation policy, venture capital, and approaches to developing entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan. Opinions from both local and foreign experts on the current state of the Azerbaijani economy and the role of innovation in economic development were also exchanged.
The Hungarian delegation also visited Baku State University, where Rauf Hasanov, head of the university’s International Relations Department, briefed the guests on the university’s establishment, history, and international student body. Lachin Abishli, dean of the Faculty of International Relations and Economics, spoke about dual-degree programs, partnerships with foreign universities, and addressed students’ questions.