CRDF, Azerbaijan National Science Foundation (ANSF) and Azerbaijan Ministry of Education (MoE) granted a $300,000 award to Baku State University to establish a modern, well-equipped, interdisciplinary center to integrate environmental science research into the academic curricula and
provide new opportunities for young investigators in biology, chemistry and geology, 50% of funding for this program came from the MoE.
Below is the brief description of this project. There are also two established centers that CRDF funded in Azerbaijan under the Research Experimental Science Centers program valued at $555,000. This program is designed to provide major state-of-the-art analytical equipment and related training to competitively selected civilian research institutes in Eurasia. The initiative’s goal is to establish self-sustaining experimental support centers capable of offering equal access to non-profit research and education institutions as well as the industrial research communities within the regions where the equipment is located.
Baku State Environmental Research and Education
The main goal of this project was to establish an interdisciplinary center for the study of environmental issues in Azerbaijan. The Center will focus on developing an environmental education program for graduate students, make use of modern laboratory equipment for research, and provide junior women faculty opportunities in professional evelopment. The project has two major components. First, a new course in environmental science will be developed for graduate students in three Baku State University departments (biology, chemistry and geology). Second, the new laboratory will be established
for research in ecological processes. This lab will be of particular importance to young women scientists who are conducting innovative ecological research in Azerbaijan. The program will eventually become self-sustained and financially independent through fund raising from private foundations and contacts with local businesses and government agencies.
