Global Hult Prize in Azerbaijan for the first time ever road to one million - PHOTO

Baku. 12 December. REPORT.AZ/ National Final of Hult Prize at Baku State University on Campus Event took place on December 9, 2017, at the ANAS HTP (Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences High Technologies Park) business incubation center and sponsored by Ernst & Young.  

Report informs, recognized by President Bill Clinton and TIME magazine as one of the top five ideas changing the world for the better, this year Baku State University hosted its first ever Hult Prize event that is the first one for the whole country.

Farida Asgarzade, the campus director of Hult Prize at Baku State University, involved students from the same university for organizational matters of the national final. The 2018 Hult Prize challenge focuses on “Harnessing the power of energy” that is based on Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8 and 9 of the United Nations. Among the judges for the Hult Prize at Baku State University were the director of Barama innovation and entrepreneurship center Imran Baghirov, an Assistant Professor of Physics of ADA University Dr. Gulmammad Mammadov, the Deputy Chairman at Board on Energy Problems under of the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources (SAARES) Nurali Yusifbeyli, and Serial Entrepreneur. Advisers of the On-campus event were Rashad Aliyev – Director of ADA University Innovation Center, Nazrin Baghirova – Chief Policy Advisor of the Information Department at Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan Republic, Vusal Suleymanli – Head of Business Incubation Center at ANAS HTP, Gunay Akbarova – lecturer in genetics at Baku State University. The teams were mentored by trainers: Nilufer Muradova - the lecturer in Economics at Baku State University, Orkhan Karimzadeh - the Associate Dean at the Power Engineering Department in Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Gunay Mukhtarova - the lecturer in Sustainable Development at Baku State University, Jasur Hasanov - the Executive Director of Social Innovation Lab and Leyla Tagizadeh - the national coach at the Climate LaunchPad. 

There were the introductory speeches given about the importance of the topic on alternative energy by Gunel Farajova - Practice Leader in Azerbaijan and Georgia for Cleantech and Sustainability Services at global Ernst and Young, Dr. Mary Matthews - Chief Technical Advisor and Regional Project Coordinator, UNDP GEF Kura II project and Irada Suleymanova - Dean of SABAH BSU. 

During the event, 18 teams from Baku State University undergraduate programs competed to test their grit in building a viable solution to this global social issue. At the final 3 teams out of 18 participated teams were awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. The first place was nominated the team "Synergy" to participate in the regional final. The winning team will automatically advance to Regional Finals of 8th Annual Hult Prize and further will have a chance to be part of seven weeks accelerator program and participate at the Global Final in September 2018 that will be hosted in New York USA - 1 million USD Prize for the winning team. 

Ahmed Ashkar, Founder and CEO of the Hult Prize Foundation said: "Since its inception in 2009, the Hult Prize has seen some remarkable talent emerge across the world, competing with fantastic ideas to solve the world's toughest challenges". About Hult Prize Foundation The Hult Prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurship, which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve the world's most pressing issues.