Co-operation

incrEAST provides information about the scope and objectives of international co-operation in research, science and technology between Azerbaijan and EECA countries, EU Member States and associated countries as well as about further opportunities for enhanced networking.

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Scope and objectives

The major problems in the development of international RTD co-operation concerns the marginal position of the Azeri scientific community vis-à-vis other international scientific communities in terms of RTD funding and research output.

Despite a large dependency on foreign funds for international RTD collaboration, the Azeri government is still unaware that it also has to provide its own legal and economic incentives for RTD organizations to take part in international research and innovation programmes on an equal financial footing, as well as to remove obstacles such as tax and customs barriers, etc.

Unfortunately, at present there is no any organisation neither governmental nor non-governmental, in the Republic which collects data and makes an analysis and assessment of the present state of Azerbaijan`s international scientific co-operation. 

Co-operation with EECA-countries

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Azeri RTD teams lost their collaborative links with Russia and other former Republics of the USSR. This breaking up of the RTD networks seriously damaged the RTD capacities of Azerbaijan, which were unable to support large projects because of limited funding and a lack of expertise.

When Azerbaijan became independent, it started the process of negotiating new formal agreements and protocols. The renewal of earlier bilateral agreements on scientific co-operation is a long and complex procedure, and has therefore had a relatively small impact on RTD in Azerbaijan.  
Between 1991 and 2007, Azerbaijan signed bilateral agreements on scientific and technical co-operation with many countries at the state level (inter alia Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine).

Co-operation with EU member states and associated countries

Prior to 1991, formalised international co-operation in all sciences, especially natural sciences, by Azeri institutions was channelled through the USSR authorities in Moscow and was based on bilateral and multilateral agreements, especially those concluded by the USSR with the developed Western countries.       

Azerbaijan is included in several major world information systems. 

Although international co-operation appears varied and fairly developed, the actual amounts of money invested by Azerbaijan into such co-operation are very small.
From the reports of the ANAS, it follows that in the period 2000-2007, 120-150 scientists from different ANAS Institutes visited foreign countries (mainly European countries, Turkey and USA) each year to participate in different conferences, symposia, workshops, seminars, etc. Unfortunately, nothing is written in these reports about long-term scientific co-operation. However, such co-operation exists in some ANAS Institutes e.g. Institute of Geology, Institute of Physics, Institute of Radiation Problems, Institute of Botany, Institute of Chemical Processes, etc.
The ANAS signed bilateral agreements with the Academies of Turkey, Austria, Romania and the Royal Society of UK, CNRS (France) and International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste (Italy).

Participation in international scientific and technical events, such as symposia, congresses, summer and winter schools, specialised courses and workshops etc. plays a significant role in the life of the scientific community. The shortage of financing has made international co-operation and links rather difficult, resulting in isolation, unjustified complacency and a decline in the quality of scientific research in Azerbaijan. Add to this the problems of financing visits by Azeri scientists to international gatherings outside Azerbaijan and it becomes clear that international co-operation could not but suffer in this situation.
The education and training of research personnel at foreign institutions, especially at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels, continues, mainly thanks to private arrangements as the plans for the targeted improvement and development of young scientists and scholars in fields considered important for the twenty-first century failed to materialise. So far there have been no well thought out, realistic and internationally evaluated programmes for the education and training of research personnel. In the absence of a rational policy, prolonged visits by Azeri scientists to foreign research centres pose a threat of increased brain drain of the best people; another negative consequence of this practice is the concentration of the research effort on well-established, small-risk topics. This inevitably results in the replication of "scientific clones" and the accompanying decline of the quality in the research effort. The present system for financing research programmes and projects in Azerbaijan unfortunately favours such an undesirable trend.     

EU-funded co-operation/ projects

The number of research teams from Azerbaijan submitting application to different INTAS calls between 1997 and 2006 was around 200, of which around 40 of them were successful.

Some Azerbaijani research organizations have participated in FP6 projects. However, the number of Azerbaijani participants is lower than one would expect, given the Azerbaijani national research capacity (up to the end of 2006, 54 project proposals with participation of researchers from Azerbaijan were submitted to different calls of FP6 and only 6 of them were successful ).

Azerbaijani scientists and the research community at large welcome the open character of FP7 and express their interest in participation in FP7 calls for proposals and other activities open to participation by the third countries. They are positive about the declared willingness to stimulate participation of researchers and scientific teams from the third countries in projects under the ten thematic priorities of FP7 ‘Cooperation’ Specific Programme.

Azerbaijani scientific teams and researchers aim at increased participation in FP7, taking into account national interests and scientific and technical priorities of Azerbaijan. Most perspective areas, in this respect, are

• new sources of energy
• resource-saving technologies
• information and telecommunications technologies
• ecology (including radio-ecology) and rational use of natural resources
• food quality and
• safety.

These areas are those which overlap with scientific and technical priorities of Azerbaijan in the short- and mid-term perspective and several thematic areas as defined in the FP7 ‘Co-operation’ Specific Programme.   

It is necessary to make efforts to complement international scientific and technological co-operation experience which has been accumulated in the framework of other scientific co-operation programmes and international organizations, with good understanding of the principles and rules of participation in FP7.
Better results from Azerbaijani research teams and scientists in FP7 could be delivered through:

• Increasing contacts and familiarisation of European partners with the research capacity of Azerbaijani institutions through brokerage events and various partnering opportunities;
• Integration of FP7 NIP Azerbaijan in the network of European National Contact Points (NCP);
• Conclusion of a scientific and technical cooperation agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Community. This will make it possible for Azerbaijani research teams participating in FP7 activities to access national research budget for co-funding of FP7 research.

Further co-operations

The twenty-first century will be determined by scientific and technological development. The Azeri government, the National Academy of Sciences, scholarly and professional societies, non-governmental organisations, etc. should take all possible measures and necessary actions to improve such activities with the help of the international community. Therefore, there is a strong need to re-establish links with the scientists and researchers of the former Soviet Union as well as to create broader research networks with the global RTD community. 

The following recommendations could thus be given:

• A careful analysis and assessment of the present state of Azerbaijan`s international scientific co-operation on the basis of the data supplied by the National Academy of Sciences, ministries and the higher educational centres should be carried out. Realistic analyses ought to be performed on the past and future expenditure for scientific and professional visits, symposia, scholarships, and bilateral and multilateral scientific and technical co-operation. Present and future benefits from international scientific co-operation should be carefully weighted.
• Key areas of research should be defined for which co-operation with foreign partners is necessary. This will then lead to an assessment of our priorities and show how Azeri science can again become interesting for scientists throughout the world. The Azeri scientific and experimental developmental potential should be urgently integrated into European scientific and higher education frameworks. Azeri scientists and research institutions should actively participate in the Seventh European Framework Programme, their co-operation with Russian scientists and scientists of other EECA countries should be rebuilt.
• A thorough analysis, with the help of the international scientific community, should help us recognise the existing scientific centres of excellence and prepare for the establishment of new centres of this kind. Wherever necessary, centres of excellence should be coupled with scientific and technological parks. European international and trans-national companies should be encouraged to take part in such activities, while Azerbaijan, as a host, should create the legislative framework and business climate to facilitate their operation. The assistance of the international community, especially the OECD countries, should be channelled in such a way that any financial support, investment or loan given to the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan should contain a provision earmarking part of the money for the development of science, experimental development and education. The same should be done in the case of the revenue coming from the privatisation of large, state-owned enterprises.
• International advisory bodies should be established for different fields and attached to the universities and institutes. Non-governmental organizations, such as the professional and scholarly societies, should be represented in such bodies.
• Foreign models should be studied (Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland) in preparation for the reorganisation of the different sectors of scientific management. The system of financing should be changed and international refereeing of projects should be introduced.
• Exceptionally gifted undergraduate and postgraduate students should be monitored and considered for possible continuation of education abroad.
• A permanent scheme should be devised to provide funding for membership fees in international societies and organisations and for the financing of international scientific events organized in Azerbaijan. Particularly important in this regard is Azerbaijan`s membership in major international professional organisations, with provisions for the use of their advanced and expensive equipment, such as CERN, EMBO, etc. The membership of Azerbaijan in the European Science Foundation (ESF) may help further widening and strengthening of such links.
• A solution should be found for the problem of purchasing scientific and technical periodicals and for the establishment of a system of subscription and standing orders for books. Membership in the most important databases is vital.
• Bilateral co-operation should be stimulated with our neighbours and other countries, and multilateral co-operation should be realised through regional organisations.
• In the implementation of international scientific and technical co-operation, it is important to clearly define the competence and role of the government agencies (ministries, scientific councils, etc.), the universities, the National Academy of Sciences and other non-governmental organisations (scientific and professional societies).

Source: ANAS
Last up-date: 16.04.2008