President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the first phase of the SABAH.city innovation campus, established at the High Technologies Park of the Ministry of Science and Education in Baku on September 14.

Operativ Media reports that Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev briefed the head of state on the SABAH.city innovation campus.

It was reported that the project will cover a total area of 20 hectares. The first phase spans over 5 hectares and includes a total built-up area of 20,000 square meters. Construction work here began in October last year, resulting in a complex of four interconnected buildings. The campus features five restaurants, a market, an event hall, as well as outdoor sports infrastructure, including basketball and football fields, two padel courts, outdoor recreation areas, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and parking spaces.

The campus is designed to engage more than 1,500 students from Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University, and Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University studying engineering, information technology, and applied sciences in education and practical training. Once fully operational, the campus is expected to host approximately 3,000 daily visitors.

The ASAN Artificial Intelligence Hub (ASAN AI Hub) has also been established here. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, briefed President Ilham Aliyev on the ASAN AI Hub, the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, and the Artificial Intelligence Assistant project of ASAN Service.

The ASAN AI Hub was established to support innovative initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence in Azerbaijan, bring together researchers, government agencies, the private sector, and individual users on a single digital platform (www.asanhub.ai), and strengthen cooperation between government, business, and educational institutions by promoting an open innovation model. To date, a total of 50 AI solutions have been presented. The ASAN AI Hub has established partnerships with eight domestic universities, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, several prestigious foreign universities (Tsinghua University in China, Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and Bogazici University in Turkey), as well as other internationally renowned partners.

To date, 150 startups have benefited from the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center of ASAN Service, with four startups acquired by foreign investors.

The Artificial Intelligence Assistant platform enables quick, simple, and conversational access to information on various activities of ASAN Service, as well as analysis and forecasting capabilities.

The SABAH.city innovation campus houses a total of 13 educational and research laboratories established by Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University, and Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. The laboratories are designed for research and applied activities in artificial intelligence, robotics, computer science, cybersecurity, biotechnology, nanobiology, nanophysics, chemistry, telecommunications, and other priority scientific and technological fields.

It also features a coworking zone hosting 12 startups, and 22 office spaces for local and international technology companies, corporate research and development centers, and other participants of the innovation ecosystem.

In addition to the three higher education institutions, the first phase of the project involves a total of 23 key ecosystem participants, including eight technology and innovation-oriented companies and 12 startups.

The primary goal of the project is to foster an innovation environment that enhances collaboration by bringing together key players in the country's innovation, science, education, and high-tech ecosystems in a single location. Serving as a comprehensive innovation platform that supports the transformation of knowledge and technology into economic and social value, SABAH.city will contribute to the long-term strengthening of human capital, applied science, technology transfer, and the competitiveness of Azerbaijan's innovation ecosystem.