Baku, September 14, 2026 – The Europe Today: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony 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.
Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev briefed President Aliyev on the project, which will ultimately cover an area of 20 hectares. The first phase spans more than five hectares and includes 20,000 square meters of built-up space. Construction began in October 2025, resulting in a complex comprising four interconnected buildings.
The campus includes five restaurants, a market, an event hall, outdoor sports facilities featuring basketball and football fields and two padel courts, as well as recreation areas, pedestrian and cycling lanes and parking facilities.
The innovation campus is designed to involve more than 1,500 students from Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University and Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University in educational and practical activities. The participating students specialize in engineering, information technology and applied sciences. Once fully operational, the campus is expected to accommodate around 3,000 visitors daily.
An ASAN AI Hub has also been established at the campus. Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan Ulvi Mehdiyev briefed President Aliyev on the activities of the ASAN AI Hub, the “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center and the “AI Assistant” project of “ASAN service.”
The ASAN AI Hub aims to support artificial intelligence initiatives in Azerbaijan and bring together researchers, government institutions, the private sector and individual users through a unified digital platform. The hub also seeks to strengthen cooperation among government, business and educational institutions through an open innovation model.
To date, 50 artificial intelligence solutions have been presented through the hub. It has established cooperation with eight Azerbaijani universities, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and leading international institutions, including Tsinghua University of China, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and Boğaziçi University of Türkiye.
Meanwhile, 150 startups have benefited from the “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center, with four startups subsequently acquired by foreign investors.
The “AI Assistant” platform allows users to obtain, analyze and forecast information related to various operational areas of “ASAN service” through a conversational interface.
The “SABAH.city” campus hosts 13 training and research laboratories established by Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University and Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. The laboratories will support research and applied activities in strategic scientific and technological fields, including artificial intelligence, robotics, computer science, cybersecurity, biotechnology, nanobiology, nanophysics, chemistry and telecommunications.
The campus also includes a coworking zone providing shared workspace for individuals and companies. It currently hosts 12 startups, while 22 office spaces are available for local and international technology companies, corporate research and development centers and other participants in the innovation ecosystem.
The first phase of the project involves the three higher education institutions and 23 key ecosystem participants, including eight technology and innovation companies and 12 startups.
The “SABAH.city” project aims to establish a comprehensive innovation environment that brings together key stakeholders in Azerbaijan’s science, education, innovation and high-technology sectors.
By creating a common platform for cooperation, the campus is expected to facilitate the transformation of knowledge and technology into economic and social value, while contributing to the development of human capital, applied science and technology transfer and strengthening the competitiveness of Azerbaijan’s innovation ecosystem.
