The opening ceremony of the first Cybersecurity laboratory, created with the support of bp company, has been held at Baku Engineering University to help train highly qualified specialists in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) and cybersecurity.

Before the event, the guests laid flowers in front of the bust of Heydar Aliyev in the building of the university and expressed their deep respect for the unforgettable memory of the Great Leader.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by representatives of the relevant state institutions, Rector Yagub Piriyev emphasized that this significant event for the university coincided with the 101st anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and drew attention to the fact that the Great Leader devoted 25 years of his life to serving the national security system.

Noting that cybercrime caused by the rapid development of ICT makes the solution of security issues urgent at the global level, the rector noted that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, important steps have been taken to improve the infrastructure and legislation related to cybersecurity in the country, and to train personnel in this direction. He added that cybersecurity  is one of the priority directions of the development strategy. Y.Piriyev said that it is not a secret to anyone that some forces are trying to create certain problems in the field of information security against Azerbaijan, especially after the victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. Emphasizing that in recent years there has been a serious change in the training of specialists in the field of ICT, especially cybersecurity, the rector said that for this purpose, an educational program that meets international requirements has been prepared in the Ministry of Science and Education on the specialty of information security in cooperation with relevant state institutions.

Yagub Piriyev mentioned that, as one of the few higher education institutions in the country that provides education on cybersecurity, it is planned to take ICT specialties as the main basic education at BEU from this year. Speaking about the establishment of fully equipped modern laboratories specialized in the fields of general chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, chemical engineering and physical chemistry at BEU with the support of bp company, the rector thanked the company for its support in the field of education.

Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, vice president of BP for the Caspian region, also expressed his satisfaction with the opening of the first of 3 laboratories, which will help improve the quality of training and education in ICT and cybersecurity skills, and other engineering skills in general, at BEU. Emphasizing the high importance of ICT in our daily life, the vice-president noted that therefore, the development of skills covering cybersecurity, data analytics, software development and other related fields can open the door to a wide range of career opportunities. He emphasized that ICT is of great economic importance. B.Aslanbayli added, "ICT is used in almost every field, from e-commerce, e-management, banking and transport to agriculture, education and medicine. It is impossible to imagine our daily life without ICT services and applications. The stronger a country's ICT capabilities and specialist skills are, the more secure its information systems will be. We hope that our project will contribute to efforts to develop the necessary skills to ensure the country's online security."

President of the Azerbaijan Internet Forum (AIF) Osman Gunduz touched upon the steps taken in the direction of ensuring the security of critical information infrastructure against the threats expected to increase against the background of the rapid development of the ICT field, and preventing infrastructure objects from becoming targets of cyber attacks. Stating that digital development has actualized the demand for high personnel training in this field, the AIF official noted that the laboratory created at BEU will contribute to strengthening the professional skills of the specialists to be trained.

Elvin Balajanov, chairman of the Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan (ACOA), spoke about the preparation of educational materials for higher education institutions based on various topics on information security and legal aspects of cybersecurity, web security and network security, and emphasized that the project will include other subjects in the next stage.

Later, Samir Poladov, representative of "B2B Group" LLC, made a presentation and informed about the capabilities of the laboratory.

Afterwards, the Cybersecurity Laboratory was opened. The guests were informed about the conditions created in the laboratory and at the same time about the working principles of the laboratory. It was reported that the laboratory was equipped with 30 pieces of modern, innovative ICT equipment and software specially purchased by bp and installed in the university. Every year, about 1000 teachers and students are expected to use the lab to improve their ICT knowledge and skills, learn to create and maintain secure, efficient information systems, and generally master digital transformation. The laboratory is designed for students specializing in computer engineering, computer science and cybersecurity, information security.

Public Relations Department