INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF AZERBAIJAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

Their core work

The Institute of Information Technology serves as Azerbaijan's gateway to pan-European research and education networking through the GÉANT infrastructure. They contribute to building and maintaining high-speed communication networks that connect universities and research institutions across borders. Their practical role involves extending e-infrastructure connectivity from Europe into the South Caucasus region, ensuring Azerbaijani researchers can access shared computing resources, data repositories, and collaborative platforms used by the broader European research community.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early participation (2016-2018) centered on physical connectivity infrastructure — transatlantic submarine cables, spectrum allocation, and bridging geographic divides between Europe and Latin America through BELLA-S1. By 2019-2023, the focus shifted decisively toward network intelligence: secure multi-domain networking, trust frameworks, and digital inclusion (addressing the digital divide). This mirrors the broader GÉANT community's evolution from building pipes to securing and optimizing what flows through them.

Moving from basic connectivity participation toward network security and trust — a relevant partner for projects addressing secure cross-border data sharing and e-infrastructure resilience.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. They operate within very large consortia (40 unique partners across 38 countries), which is characteristic of GÉANT Specific Grant Agreements where national research network operators join a single pan-European effort. This means they are a reliable, low-friction consortium member accustomed to working within large, structured partnerships rather than leading small focused teams.

Connected to 40 unique partners across 38 countries, almost entirely through the GÉANT consortium family. This gives them an exceptionally wide but structurally narrow network — broad geographic reach driven by membership in a single mega-consortium rather than diverse bilateral partnerships.

What sets them apart

As Azerbaijan's representative in the GÉANT research networking ecosystem, this institute is the natural entry point for any EU project that needs connectivity or collaboration infrastructure extending into the South Caucasus. For consortium builders, they offer geographic coverage in a region underrepresented in most EU projects, which can strengthen proposals aiming for Widening Participation or international cooperation objectives.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BELLA-S1
  Intercontinental scope — focused on submarine cable infrastructure linking Europe with Latin America, unusual for an Azerbaijani institute.
• GN4-3N
  Focused specifically on increasing long-term backbone network capacity across Europe, representing the physical infrastructure layer of GÉANT.