President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev opened the event which was the first event of his two-day working visit to Italy. Besides the Rector of ADA University, Hafiz Pashayev, senior management of five important universities that are involved in the initiative were present for the occasion, namely Vice President of Luiss Guido Carli University Paola Severino, Rector of Sapienza Università di Roma Antonella Polimeni, Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, Guido Saracco, Executive Vice Rector of Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna Simona Tondelli and the Director of the Design Department of the Politecnico di Milano Alessandro Deserti were present.
President Ilham Aliyev, in his inaugural speech, expressed particular joy at the fact that the first event of the inaugurated premise was dedicated to education. “Today, we are embarking on a new page of Italy-Azerbaijan relations. We are starting a new page of large-scale cooperation in the field of education", he said, recalling the story of the initiative of the Italy-Azerbaijan University, the idea himself suggested in 2020, which in just two years has already led to the groundbreaking ceremony on the campus of ADA, in April, during the visit of Minister Di Maio to Azerbaijan. "In Azerbaijan, we channel the revenues obtained from natural resources into human capital, and today's event is clear evidence of that", underlined the President, who expressed certainty that "Italy-Azerbaijan University will become a center of Italian-Azerbaijani partnership”.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Ecological Transition Vannia Gava, on behalf of the Italian government, underlined the importance of the creation of the Italy-Azerbaijan University. She highlighted its strategic role in bilateral relations calling it an achievement but also a starting point "for a promising future to be written together."
Following, the Vice President of the Luiss Guido Carli University Paola Severino, representing the Italian partner universities, took the floor, speaking of a "cultural bridge" between two countries and two cultures.
The event was concluded with the speech of Rector Hafiz Pashayev, who expressed his emotions for the historic day, which will bring up "the relations of friendship and collaboration" between Baku and Rome "to a new level" which will allow "to train excellent specialists for the economy of future".
The memorandum of understanding for Italy-Azerbaijan University between ADA University and five leading Italian universities was signed in September 2021.
The purpose of Italy-Azerbaijan University is to contribute to the growth aspirations of Azerbaijan by innovating while being rooted in its authentic cultural identity and traditions by deploying the know-how of “Made in Italy”.
The program portfolio intends to build management capacity and manpower in strategic sectors and high-demand areas. To establish programs, ADA will benefit from the outstanding expertise of the leading Italian universities, namely, Luiss in brand-conscious management, the Università di Bologna in food and agriculture, Politecnico di Milano and Sapienza Università di Roma in Architecture, design and urban studies, Politecnico di Milano in engineering, including engineering of sustainable energy.
The academic programs will be complemented with technology labs, fabrication hall, design center, business incubator, and “bazaar” as a strong link to industry and Italy. This university is envisioned to be a transfer hub of knowledge, research, technology, and innovation between two countries.
