Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 14
Trend:
EY Azerbaijan sponsored the 8th annual national Hult Prize final at the Baku State University on Campus Event, which took place on 9 December 2017 at the ANAS HTP (Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences High Technologies Park) business incubation center. This year, Baku State University hosted the Hult Prize, recognized by Bill Clinton and TIME Magazine as one of the top five ideas changing the world for the better, for the first time. Moreover, this was the first time that the event covered the whole country.
Farida Asgarzade, the campus director for the Hult Prize at Baku State University, involved the university’s students in organizing the national final. The 2018 Hult Prize challenge is titled Harnessing the Power of Energy, which is based on Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8 and 9 of the United Nations.
During the event, 18 teams from Baku State University undergraduate programs competed to test their grit in building a viable solution to this global social issue. Awards were given to the top three teams. The winners were the Synergy team, who automatically advance to the regional finals and will have a chance to join a seven-week accelerator program and participate at the global final in September 2018 in New York with a USD 1 million prize for the winning team. Ahmed Ashkar, Founder and CEO of the Hult Prize Foundation, said: “Since its inception in 2009, the Hult Prize has seen some remarkable talent emerge across the world, competing with fantastic ideas to solve the world's toughest challenges.”
Gunel Farajova, EY Cleantech and Sustainability Senior, participated at the event and gave a speech about the importance of alternative energy. She shared: “This is an opportunity for the students to show how they can build a sustainable business around existing technologies that have the potential to transform the world. I would like to congratulate the winning team and wish them success in the regional finals!”
About the Hult Prize Foundation
The Hult Prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurship, which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve the world's most pressing issues.
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EY in Azerbaijan
EY made a major commitment to the development of Azerbaijan and the region by opening the office in Baku 23 years ago. Today, in addition to being the leading audit and consulting firm in Azerbaijan, we are the leading professional services firm in the region. As a result of our experience and competence, we have been able to assist both domestic and international companies as well as state-owned entities to develop and manage the challenges of the international economy.
There are currently more than 200 people working in our Baku office that serve our clients in Azerbaijan. EY’s strength in the Caspian Region and the firm’s commitment of resources are important to the entities operating in the region. It means that as we grow, EY will continue to demonstrate a tradition of hiring and training local professionals to be leaders in our practice.
