Baku State University is establishing new relations with foreign universities and international organizations to expand its international relations. Today, the University's representation in international associations and societies, the establishment of new relations, its representation in international rankings, participation in international programs and projects are of great importance in the expansion of international relations of BSU. In addition, increasing the number of international grants for research, exchange programs, academic cooperation and increasing the international reputation of the University through the involvement of foreign students are the main issues in the field of international relations.
Currently, the University is working on 3 international grant projects. One of them is the MAGNUS project between BSU and Linköping University in Sweden within the Erasmus + KA2 program. According to the partnership agreement signed on the implementation of the project, a new specialty at the master's level, "Development of mobile applications and game design" was opened at BSU, and the project is already being implemented. At the same time, the subjects of the modules and their credits were identified within the project and the curriculum of the specialty was developed.
At the same time, in October 2020, a partnership agreement was signed with the University of La Sapienza, Italy on the Innovative Training Center ITACA project for the doctoral level on the environmental situation in Azerbaijan under the Erasmus + KA 2 program. Work on this project is currently underway.
Another project is the GEOCLIC project, which was won by BSU. The aim of the project is to modernize the bachelor's, master's and doctoral curricula in geospatial technology using new technologies to ensure the environmental safety of coastal ecosystems. These projects are the European Union's Erasmus + KA02 projects. BSU has been working on these projects for many years, and the University has experience in working on these projects.
Erasmus + KA02 projects involve several partner organizations, including Azerbaijani or European universities. These partners can be not only universities, but also non-governmental organizations or government agencies. International grant projects focus on the importance of these projects for the development of education, science and innovation in the country.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most of the work is organized online, all meetings, webinars, workshops are held online. It should be noted that within the MAGNUS project, a computer laboratory meeting the latest standards has been established at the University. The ITACA project also envisages the construction of a training center in accordance with modern requirements and the purchase and installation of equipment for the organization of work.
Such projects also contribute to strengthening the material and technical base of the university. The specialization "Development of mobile applications and game design" opened at BSU within the MAGNUS project is a new specialty in the Azerbaijani education system at the master's level.
The aim of the ITACA project is to establish and develop a Training Center to create and develop a three-tier education aimed at addressing the environmental situation in Azerbaijan. This is especially important in terms of young people's interest in science and innovation. The implementation of the GEOCLIC project will begin this year.
Research and development has a special place in the development strategy of the University. The internationalization of BSU is carried out in four main areas: academic cooperation, increasing public confidence and prestige, cooperation with diplomatic missions and increasing the number of international grants and exchange programs. The experience gained by participating in international programs is applied at the University. Grant projects are of special importance in terms of financial support for the development of science, as well as the development of international experience and relations with partner universities. BSU is also taking appropriate measures to strengthen its participation in programs and projects such as Horizon 2020, Jean Monnet, Joint Masters.