SOCAR-AQS has signed the agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the top universities in the world, for the establishment of the MIT-Azerbaijan Fund. The goal of the project is to contribute to the development of mobile/web app-based startups and private entrepreneurship, organize an intensive applied training for students on entrepreneurship and computer programming. With this objective, the MIT-Azerbaijan Fund will support the new MIT-Azerbaijan Global Startup Labs initiative to be administered by the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Program. The agreement was signed by Mr. Israel Ruiz, Executive Vice President and Treasurer of MIT, and Mr. Ramin Isayev, General Director of SOCAR-AQS.
The first MIT-Azerbaijan Global Startup Labs will be organized in the summer of 2018 at ADA University (identified as per the appreciation mission of the MIT representative to academic institutions in the country). Participants will be selected by the MIT Team. The MIT-Azerbaijan Global Startup Lab will hold an investor/demo day, where startups will have an opportunity to pitch the ideas and products they develop during the program and to seek funding from investors and/or invitations to local startup incubators or accelerators. The MIT-Azerbaijan Global Startup Lab’s graduates will also have the opportunity to compete for participation in MIT’s global startup and idea competitions, thus providing Azerbaijan’s students and young entrepreneurs with access to global startup funding and innovation ecosystem.
Attending the signing ceremony, Dr. Elizabeth Wood, Faculty Director of MIT MISTI’s Eurasia program, said that “MIT is proud of its role expanding the frontiers of technology and entrepreneurship innovation. Through the MIT-Azerbaijan Global Startup Lab, we want to take the best practices and modern approaches in startup ecosystem development to aspiring countries in the world.”
Dr. Hafiz Pashayev, Rector of ADA University said: “This important partnership with the MIT and SOCAR-AQS will enable ADA University’s Innovation Center to further strengthen the university’s startup support and innovation capacity. It will also be an important contribution to developing the startup ecosystem in the country”.
“Azerbaijan has a young and entrepreneurial population. The country needs to reinvigorate its startup ecosystem to further enhance its innovation economy. SOCAR-AQS is proud to support the country in these efforts,” said Mr. Ramin Isayev, General Director of SOCAR-AQS.
Candidates interested in the MIT Global Startup Lab Azerbaijan bootcamp should apply by the deadline of May 29th, 2018 at the following link: http://gsl.mit.edu/program/azerbaijan-summer-2018/.
SOCAR-AQS as a national drilling company that supports initiatives and programs aimed at increasing the existing capabilities to integrate oil capital into human capital.
SOCAR-AQS launches the Summer Internship Program for 3rd and 4th year Bachelor’s degree students and Master’s degree students. Besides the company grants scholarship for students, who study oil and gas engineering. SOCAR AQS’s shareholders are SOCAR and Nobel Oil Services.
