According to a TolishMedia correspondent in Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with local media, emphasized the importance of developing science in the country. Moreover, the president’s statements suggest that in the post-oil era, investments in education and science will become the main driving force that can save the country’s economy.
“Development in developed countries is exclusively linked to intelligence, reason, education, and science, not to oil and gas. Look at the situation of countries rich in oil and gas and developed countries. Yes, there are successful countries among those rich in oil and gas – there are few of them, but they exist. Where do they get their technologies from? Do they invent them themselves? No, they come from think tanks, technological centers. And what is this connected with? With education and science. It’s a simple question. Therefore, we must actively work in this direction,” the president noted.
Ilham Aliyev also stated that 10 new universities have been created in Azerbaijan over the past 20 years: “This is the intention of the state, state policy. Improving the quality of education, social security and professionalism of teachers, the testing system, and so on. All these factors pursue one goal – to ensure that society is educated and literate. Only in this case will we be able to achieve long-term development. If this does not happen, after the oil and gas run out, we may find ourselves in a very difficult situation. And now we must strive to see the future of our people and state for decades and centuries to come.”
How important is the development of science in Azerbaijan? The amount of funds allocated from the Azerbaijani state budget for scientific research is only 0.1% of GDP. This indicator has not changed for decades and shows no growth. Moreover, the state budget for 2026 provides for a reduction in spending on scientific research by 4.1%, or 9.7 million manats. This means that the share of science in GDP will decrease even further.
Meanwhile, in OECD countries, spending on scientific research averages 2.7% of GDP. In a number of developed countries, this figure reaches 6% in Israel and 5% in South Korea.
In Azerbaijan, however, 229.5 million manats are projected for science funding this year. The main part of these funds – 207.1 million manats – is allocated to fundamental science. Only 22.4 million manats are allocated to applied research in the field of public services.
Thus, in 2026, approximately 90.2% of scientific expenditures will be directed to fundamental science and only 9.8% to applied research. Despite the increase in funding for fundamental science, funding for applied research has been significantly reduced. For example, in 2025, these expenditures amounted to 185.7 million and 53.5 million manats, respectively.
Azerbaijan’s revenues from scientific research in innovative fields remain lower compared to neighboring Armenia and Georgia. This is reflected in World Bank reports, as well as in the Global Innovation Index rankings. 41% of graduates are unemployed.
