A wide-ranging deliberation was held at Sumgayit State University (SSU) on the issues discussed at the meetings held by the Ministry of Science and Education on September 19 and October 3 of this year with the participation of rectors of higher education institutions. Acting rector of the university, corresponding member of ANAS, Professor Aminaga Sadigov, vice-rectors, faculty deans, heads of departments and other structures attended at the meeting. Professor Aminaga Sadigov opened the event and said that the meeting aims to identify the tasks arising from the issues discussed and decisions made at the meetings of the Ministry of Science and Education's "2025/2026 Academic Year: Innovations and Goals in Science and Higher Education" project, as well as the "Socio-Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2027–2030" project dedicated to science and higher education. He noted that the Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev, rectors of all higher education institutions of our country, and other officials participated in the meetings in question. He noted that at the first meeting, a report was heard on the topic of "Strengthening the ecosystem of science and higher education", information was provided on the results achieved in the field of science and higher education in 2022-2025 and the directions of activities planned until 2030. In the second session, priorities such as increasing the coverage and accessibility of higher education, modernizing content and quality indicators, strengthening international competitiveness and mobility, developing science and higher education within the framework of public-private partnerships, strengthening scientific potential, and ensuring financial sustainability were highlighted. In addition, proposals were put forward to align the strategic development plans of higher education institutions with the country's socio-economic goals, expand the opportunities for international cooperation of universities, and stimulate result-based scientific research. An exchange of views was held on determining priorities for the coming period, forming a higher education ecosystem that meets modern requirements, and further strengthening the role of science in the development of society. Then, Aminaga Sadigov spoke about the tasks of Sumgayit State University in the current academic year and its plans for the coming years. He noted that the “Digital Development Concept in the Republic of Azerbaijan” and the “Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025-2028” approved by President Ilham Aliyev set important tasks for universities to prepare highly qualified personnel in relevant fields.
Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation, Associate Professor Elshad Abdullayev spoke at the meeting and provided detailed information about the admission plan for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees across the country, based on data and statistics provided by the Ministry of Science and Education. He also touched upon issues such as optimizing admissions at the master's and doctoral levels, modernizing the content of the higher education system and increasing quality indicators, and ensuring the transition from quantity-based to quality-based funding in the higher education system. He also noted the achievements achieved in 2022–2025: 64,353 loans were formalized within the framework of the educational student loan system, 13,267 scientific articles were published in impact factor journals, and the number of students studying in SABAH and other new content programs was increased to 15,000. Then, explaining the goals planned for implementation by 2030, Elshad Abdullayev emphasized priorities such as optimizing coverage and accessibility in higher education, modernizing and improving the quality of higher education content, strengthening educational infrastructure within the framework of public-private partnerships, increasing the annual cost of education per student and equalizing tuition fees, and increasing coverage and accessibility across regions. Then, Aysel Eminova, Head of the Department of International Cooperation and Strategic Projects, brought to attention the analysis and recommendations of the Ministry of Science and Education on “Position of Azerbaijani Higher Education Institutions in International Rankings and Prioritization of Science”, provided information on the results of the QS 2026 Global Ranking, and spoke about the results of scientific research on Azerbaijan in the Scopus elemmetric database. Aysel Eminova provided information on the criteria of international rating systems, the internationalization of scientific activity, as well as the measures taken by SSU in this direction. At the end of the meeting, a wide exchange of views was held among the participants, proposals were made on the issues discussed, and directions of action for the upcoming period were determined.