Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Science and Education has formed a strategic partnership with global higher education data and insights company Times Higher Education (THE) to develop higher education in Azerbaijan.
The ministry wants to develop some Azerbaijani universities into world-class research-intensive institutions and boost the global standing of its higher education sector.
THE will carry out a thorough, detailed and comprehensive data-driven analysis of Azerbaijani higher education and provide in-depth analysis of Azerbaijan’s universities, developing national and individual strategies to support their future success. It will provide a data dashboard to the ministry for transparent oversight and monitoring of progress against international benchmarks.
Emin Amrullayev, Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan stated: “Growing interest for active presence in international rankings has significantly enhanced the understanding of rankings culture among higher education institutions in Azerbaijan. Different criteria used in methodology of international rankings allows us to evaluate and strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions and serves to improve the quality of higher education.”
THE will also benchmark the performance of Azerbaijan’s universities regionally, analysing research output from the highest performing universities, which includes specialist subjects and international collaboration, and will advise on a national research strategy.
The ministry wants to create impactful global research partnerships and to address this THE will identify key priority areas such as performance, reputation and internationalisation, providing university-level support and guidance.
Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, said: “I’m excited about THE’s partnership with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Science and Education. They are showing real ambition to realise the full potential of higher education in the country, with exciting ambitions to develop research capacity and the social impact of universities, which will significantly benefit their citizens and the wider world.
“It is a very exciting time in Azerbaijan as it is hosting COP29 in November, representing a unique opportunity for global attention on the country. Azerbaijan’s universities will have the chance to demonstrate on the world stage their proven record on delivering social and economic impact aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and supporting the development of new international research collaborations.”
THE has been supporting Baku State University since January, providing it with data and in-depth performance analysis, enabling it to review its strengths and weaknesses. THE will carry out global benchmarking analysis of the university with the aim of supporting its ambition to become the largest centre of science and education in the region.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Science and Education is joining THE as a partner in the Global Sustainable Development Congress, hosting a national Azerbaijan pavilion at the event to showcase universities’ strengths in sustainable development and to forge new international collaborations.
Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, Sumgait State University and the ministry will be jointly hosting THE’s Impact Forum 2024 taking place in the country in September.