The "Project for Financial Rewards of Scientists", which has been implemented since 2024 and serves to stimulate the scientific activity of researchers, will continue in 2026 too.
This year, the project evaluation mechanism was improved in cooperation with specialists from Clarivate, an international company specializing in scientometrics, and the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The updated rules were approved by the Scientific Research Coordination Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
According to the improved mechanism, it is planned to reward up to 500 researchers working at scientific institutions operating under the Ministry of Science and Education with up to 1,000 manats each month.
According to the new rules, increased the number of researchers to be awarded, as well as expanded the evaluation criteria. Thus, in addition to Q1 and Q2 category journals indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, scientific works published in Q3 and Q4 category journals are also included in the evaluation.
In addition, for the first time, in order to encourage the transfer of research results to the real sector, patents and utility models have been added as bonus points to the calculation mechanism.
For comparison, it should be noted that nearly 150 scientists benefited from the project in its first year, while the number reached approximately 300 in 2025.
The implementation of the improved regulations will begin in May 2026. The main objective of the project is to enhance the result-oriented nature of scientific activity, encourage researchers’ engagement in international scientific databases, and support the practical application of scientific outcomes (economics.org.az).
