UFAZ hosted "JunctionX Baku 2024," one of Azerbaijan's largest hackathon events

"JunctionX Baku 2024," one of Azerbaijan's largest hackathon events, took place with the theme "Artificial Intelligence in Green Economy." Supported by the Education Development Fund under the Ministry of Science and Education, and organized by EESTEC Baku, the event aimed to address ecological issues using artificial intelligence.

Latifa Nasibova, UFAZ's Executive Director, welcomed guests and participants, emphasizing the university's interest in such events and its support for projects related to the technological ecosystem. International and local representatives of Junction X, including Daniil Frieden, Head of Global Relations at Junction X, and Adil Gasimov, Head of EESTEC Baku, provided insights into the hackathon, highlighting its first-ever occurrence in Azerbaijan and the preparatory process.

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Education Development Fund's Board of Directors, reaffirmed the Fund's continuous support for such initiatives, noting their role in fostering international-scale projects in Azerbaijan. Sabuhi Rzayev, Director of Public Relations and Communication at the Ministry of Science and Education, shared thoughts on how the organizing team began the project execution process, the tasks undertaken by the project organization team, and the establishment of collaborations.

Aziza Vidadi, Head of Analysis and Monitoring at 4SIM, and Orduhan Gahramanzade, Head of Youth Organization Affairs at the Youth Foundation, discussed the significance of such events in the ecosystem and the institution's support in this field. Goktug Sari, Marketing Director of Code Academy, Zaur Mustafayev, Technology Manager at PwC Azerbaijan, Rauf Hasanov, Head of Internal Control at United Payment, and Aydan Hashimova, Director of ATL Academy, also attended the opening ceremony, wishing success to the teams in this important competition.

The main topics of the hackathon were aligned with COP29 directions, covering urban climate resilience, emission reduction, and circular economy technologies. Over the next 36 hours, participants developed AI-based solutions, and the winning team was “Evergreen.” The winning team will represent Azerbaijan at the main Junction event in Helsinki, Finland.

It's worth noting that JunctionX Baku 2024 is part of the global Junction hackathon movement originating in Finland and spreading worldwide, promoting innovation among young technology enthusiasts. JunctionX Baku brings together students, developers, and innovators to create technology-based solutions for real-world problems in Azerbaijan.