Islamabad, December 24, 2025 – COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) welcomed a delegation from Azerbaijan Technical University (AZTU) to explore academic and research collaborations. The meeting set the stage for a partnership that promises to combine innovation, technology, and global expertise.

Bridging Knowledge Across Borders

Led by Dr. Jeyhun Hajiyev, Head of Digital Economy and Financial Technologies at AZTU, the delegation met with Dr. Hammad Omer (T.I.), Head of CUI’s International Office, and Professor M. Majid Khan (Management Science) and Dr. Bilal Ijaz (QEC) facilitated by the International Office Team. The discussions focused on areas where both universities excel—Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, Financial Technologies, and Business Data Analytics—with a vision to foster talent and shared research initiatives.

Key Collaboration Highlights:

• Reciprocal faculty and student exchange programs
• Joint research projects, publications, conferences, and funding opportunities as well as joint PhD supervision
• Specialized faculty training in AI and Digital Economy

Shared sustainability initiatives and researchers-to-researchers collaboration

AZTU plans to send its faculty to CUI for immersive training, while CUI faculty will visit AZTU to deliver short-term programs in English-taught technical courses. Both sides also explored engagement opportunities through TWAS research visits and the D-8 Network of Pioneers for Research and Innovation (D-8 NPRI), with CUI formally inviting AZTU to join the platform as envisioned by Dr. Omer.

Spotlight on Excellence

Prof. Majid Khan highlighted CUI’s Faculty of Business Administration, serving over 4,000 students across seven campuses, and showcased international initiatives like the DAAD-funded Sustainable Project Management for Development Projects (SusProLab) in partnership with Fachhochschule Dortmund, Germany. Training of faculty for improvement of rankings was suggested by the In-Charge QEC of CUI, Dr. Bilal Ijaz.

Next Steps

An actionable roadmap was agreed upon, prioritizing faculty exchanges, training of AZTU faculty, joint research, student mobility programs, and global funding collaborations. This partnership positions both universities at the forefront of knowledge-driven innovation, shaping the future of higher education and research on an international scale.