At today’s meeting of the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), a report on the scientific and scientific-organizational activities of the Division of Earth Sciences (DES) for 2025 was heard.
The report was presented by Vice-President of ANAS, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Division of Earth Sciences, Academician Ibrahim Guliyev. The Academician noted that in their activities over the past year, the institutions of the Division were guided by such documents as “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development,” “National Strategy for the Rational Use of Water Resources,” “Employment Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019–2030,” “The First State Program of the Great Return to the Territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan Liberated from Occupation,” the orders of the Head of State “On the Celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences” and “On the Declaration of 2025 as the ‘Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty’ in the Republic of Azerbaijan,” as well as the relevant decisions of the General Assembly and the Presidium of ANAS.
Academician Ibrahim Guliyev stated that in 2025, research conducted at the scientific institutions within the Division of Earth Sciences of ANAS covered 15 problems, 44 topics, 56 research projects, and 15 stages. During the reporting year, 11 topics, 20 research projects, and 7 stages were completed. More than 40 significant results were obtained, and 43 research projects were carried out on the basis of economic contracts.
The Academician reported that the results mainly covered such pressing areas as the restoration of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, the “Great Return” movement, assessment of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian Sea basin, improvement of gas-condensate field development processes, activity of oil and gas field blocks and mud volcanoes, changes in the level of the Caspian Sea, and the study of dynamics in coastal zones, among others. He emphasized that through the application of artificial intelligence technologies, an interactive database titled “Digital Caspian” was developed, which includes interactive digital maps. The database integrates analytical modules and is designed for transdisciplinary research, scientific analysis, and sustainable resource management.
The speaker noted that, according to relevant indicators in the international scientific ranking Scimago, over the past five years there has been a sustained and stable dynamic growth in the global positions of Azerbaijan’s Earth sciences, including within the group of Eastern European countries. As of the end of 2024, among approximately 200 countries worldwide, Azerbaijan ranked 36th in geophysics, 41st in geoengineering, and 47th in geology.
Speaking about the publishing activity of the scientific institutions of the Division of Earth Sciences, Academician Ibrahim Guliyev reported that during the reporting year, 9 monographs (including 1 published abroad), 16 books, and 6 textbooks were published, as well as 264 articles (188 published abroad) and 117 abstracts (78 published abroad). Of these, 115 were published in journals with impact factors indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Last year, he continued, valuable research works were prepared, including “The Paleontological Atlas of Azerbaijan,” “Earth Sciences of Azerbaijan Over 80 Years: Pages of a Rich and Glorious History,” “Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur: Geology and Mineral Resources,” and “Tourism and Recreational Potential of Karabakh,” among others.
Academician Ibrahim Guliyev also spoke about the human resources potential of the Division of Earth Sciences and personnel training, strengthening the integration of science and education, the scientific journals of the Division, international cooperation, awards, the state of electronic science, modernization of the material and technical base of science, improvement of the information support system, as well as conferences, seminars, anniversaries, and other activities.
Following the discussions, the Presidium adopted a resolution approving the report on the scientific and scientific-organizational activities of the Division of Earth Sciences of ANAS for 2025 and including the significant results obtained in the annual report of ANAS.
