ADA University and BP on behalf of its co-ventures in the projects that it operates - the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), Shah-Deniz, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil export pipeline and the South Caucasus announced the establishment of the first Big Data, Data Sciences Instruction and Research Center in Azerbaijan.
At the event dedicated to the launch of the project on October 19th at ADA campus, the agreement was signed between Rector Hafiz Pashayev and Gordon Birrell, Regional President of BP for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
Addressing the event participants Rector Pashayev stressed the importance of the establishment of the Center for the entire academic community in the country, including for students and Faculty of the University. “Innovative research and education today is not possible without applying data-driven strategies to it,” he said thanking BP leadership for responding to this initiative by ADA’s School of IT and Engineering and supporting it.
In his turn Mr. Birrell expressed the belief that the Center will help improve analysis capabilities in a range of areas and disciplines in both private and public sectors: “This is also an opportunity for BP and its co-ventures to expand their cooperation with the Ministry of Education and to enter a new partnership with ADA University”.
Speaking at the event Azerbaijan’s Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov said: “We welcome the initiative of higher education institutions in furthering the national innovation agenda. It is commendable that ADA University continues to fully use its autonomy and a tremendous capacity to make a difference.” The establishment of the first Big Data Sciences Research and Training Center in Azerbaijan is a good example of our national policy of innovative development, he said.
BP supported project will continue through December 2017 and will be valued at $ 410,000.The expected outcomes of the project also include expansion of the capacity of the ADA University School of Information Technologies and Engineering to enable development of new areas of local expertise in a range of best-in-class software and hardware technologies.
