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Approved by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Institute of Information Technology (IIT) of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities (CORE Academy) have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance collaboration in artificial intelligence and information technologies. The agreement marks a new starting point for comprehensive cooperation between CORE Academy and Azerbaijani partners in AI, digital transformation, and high-performance computing.

The CORE Academy delegation to IIT included Professor Yingsan Geng, Member of the Council of CORE Academy; Professor Li Lei, Member of the Executive Board; Dr Raymond J. Wu, Executive Vice Secretariat-General; and Ms Lianzhi Liu, Secretariat Assistant. The delegation was warmly received by Academician Rasim Alguliyev, Vice-President of Azerbajian National Academy of Sciences and Director General of the Institute of Information Technology.

In his welcome remarks, Academician Alguliyev presented the history and mission of IIT as one of Azerbaijan’s key scientific institutions serving national strategic priorities. He noted that the institute plays a leading role in implementing state programmes, strategic roadmaps, and major policy documents in the digital and information domains. Today, the institute conducts cutting-edge research across a broad spectrum of fields, including artificial intelligence, data science, software engineering, natural language processing, cyber-physical systems, digital government, digital medicine, cybersecurity, deep learning, the Internet of Things, big data analytics, the digital economy, as well as the ethics, governance and social impact of AI.

Alguliyev underlined that the recent state visit of President Ilham Aliyev to China and the high-level agreements reached between the two countries have brought Azerbaijan–China strategic partnership to a new stage. He emphasized that bilateral relations are deepening across many domains, with particularly dynamic progress in science, education, innovation, and digital technologies. Against this backdrop, IIT attaches great importance to building substantive collaboration with leading scientific and educational institutions in China and to learning from China’s long-term experience in science, education, and innovation.

On behalf of CORE Academy, Professor Li Lei expressed high appreciation for Azerbaijan’s achievements in science, innovation, the economy, culture and other areas. He observed that the historically formed scientific, cultural, and economic ties between Azerbaijan and China have strategic significance and create broad opportunities for cooperation in AI and digital technologies. Professor Li then introduced CORE Academy as an independent, merit-based scientific organization that supports research across mathematics, computer science, information technologies, and artificial intelligence. CORE Academy’s research teams are deeply engaged in applying AI to energy security, information systems, healthcare, education, and industry, and in exploring emerging questions of AI ethics, governance, and social impact.

Professor Li also highlighted CORE Academy’s global scientific network and development strategy, noting that, in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI has become a foundational driver of the digital economy. Beyond algorithms and applications, he stressed the importance of computing infrastructure, high-performance computing, and energy security for AI, and pointed to the potential for joint work in “AI for Science”, energy–computing synergy, and critical digital technologies. He expressed confidence that closer cooperation between Azerbaijani and Chinese scholars—supported by platforms such as Xi’an Jiaotong University and other partner universities—would bring mutual benefit through high-level talent training, experience sharing, and sustained information exchange.

In the presence of representatives from both sides, Professor Yingsan Geng and Academician Rasim Alguliyev formally signed the MoU on behalf of CORE Academy and IIT. 

Under the Memorandum of Understanding:

• The Institute of Information Technology of ANAS will join the “CORE Global Partnership Network” as a member institution, establishing a stable and long-term cooperation mechanism with CORE Academy.

• The parties will carry out joint research and collaborative projects, including joint participation in competitive grant schemes and the promotion of applied, problem-oriented research.

• IIT and CORE Academy will co-organize high-level academic conferences, workshops, and seminars, fostering the open exchange of scientific information.

• Both sides will promote personnel exchanges and capacity building, including visits by researchers, joint supervision of young scholars, and training activities for students and early-career researchers.

• Cooperation will focus on priority areas such as AI for Science, computing infrastructure and high-performance computing, human–computer interaction, intelligent systems and automation, data science, cybersecurity, as well as AI ethics, governance, and societal impact.

Following the signing ceremony, the CORE Academy delegation, accompanied by Dr Babek Nabiyev, Head of the International Relations Department of IIT, visited the institute’s data centre, education centre, and scientific publishing centre. The data centre currently supports data processing for numerous universities and institutions across Azerbaijan; the education centre offers training for Olympiad talents, Master’s and PhD students, and was responsible for establishing the country’s first distance-education centre. Through these facilities, IIT has formed a closely linked ecosystem of research, education, and services that underpins the country’s digital development.

This visit and the signing of the MoU represent an important step in CORE Academy’s internationalization strategy and in its broader Eurasian scientific cooperation agenda. Both sides affirmed their determination to use this agreement as a platform to pool global innovation resources, promote original breakthroughs in AI and information technologies, and accelerate the practical deployment of AI in key sectors.

CORE Academy and IIT will now work together to develop concrete cooperation roadmaps—exploring possibilities for joint laboratories, thematic research programmes, and regular academic exchanges. Through these efforts, the partners aim to contribute new scientific knowledge, nurture the next generation of digital talent, and add durable, technology-driven momentum to China–Azerbaijan scientific collaboration in service of a shared, more interconnected future.

References and other photos

Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Institute of Information Technology and the CORE Academy: https://ict.az/en/news/7487