French-Azerbaijani University

What French-Azerbaijani University does

French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) is a joint Azerbaijani-French higher-education institution established in 2016 and operating under Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) in Baku. It offers five bachelor's programs (Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Oil & Gas Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, and Chemistry) and four master's programs (Data Science & AI, Physical Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Geosciences, and Water Resources Management), with graduates receiving dual diplomas from ASOIU and either the University of Strasbourg or the University of Rennes. Total annual intake is 300 government-funded seats (190 bachelor's + 110 master's) allocated through Azerbaijan's State Examination Center, with international students admitted via the SIACAS portal at $4,000-$5,000 per year.

The university's research infrastructure centers on a 2,500 m² dedicated laboratory building (SP2) meeting Strasbourg standards, anchored by the PARSEC supercomputer — 26 interconnected machines delivering 800 TFlops single-precision and 1.6 PFlops half-precision compute with 64 TB RAID-5 storage, running the in-house EASEA evolutionary computation platform and connected to the GÉANT pan-European network. Supporting labs include analytical chemistry (NMR, FTIR, HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, ICP-MS), chemical engineering, physics, microscopy, and a Cisco-equipped network lab. A Career Center launched in 2022 now engages 100+ industry partners (BP, SOCAR, TotalEnergies, SLB, Halliburton, Deloitte), and Cotutelle PhD programs, AUF membership (2020), and a Summer School in France extend the institution's international footprint.

UFAZ's revenue model combines a state block-grant for the 300 government-funded Azerbaijani seats with fee-based international student tuition. Revenue, funding totals, and operating budget are not publicly disclosed in available sources. The institution is governed by Executive Director Vazeh Asgarov (also acting rector of ASOIU), with strategic oversight from ASOIU as the parent operating entity.

Name

French-Azerbaijani University

Legal name

French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ)

Website

https://ufaz.az

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) is a joint Azerbaijani-French institution under ASOIU in Baku, offering dual-diploma bachelor's and master's programs in STEM fields with French partner universities and a 300-seat annual government-funded intake.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dual/Joint Degree Programs (International) (EDAIABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Branch Campus & Offshore Program Partnerships (EDAIABAI), Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Dual diploma programs
• Engineering education
• Data science research
• Technical university

Headquarters

HQ city

Baku

HQ country

Azerbaijan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary revenue stream from Azerbaijani government for state-funded student spots. Bachelor's programs have 190 government-funded spots and Master's programs have 110 government-funded spots, all offered tuition-free to Azerbaijani citizens admitted through the State Examination Center.
2. International Student Tuition: International students pay tuition fees: $4,000 USD per year for bachelor's programs and $5,000 USD per year for master's programs. Programs include Chemical Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, Computer Science, Oil & Gas Engineering, Chemistry (undergraduate) and Physical Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Data Science & AI, Geosciences, Water Resources Management (master's).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UFAZ is a joint Azerbaijani-French university delivering higher education through five bachelor's and four master's STEM programs that grant dual diplomas from ASOIU and University of Strasbourg / University of Rennes. Programs are taught in English with French faculty involvement and culminate in internationally recognized dual degrees. The university also provides research infrastructure (PARSEC supercomputer, specialized labs) and student services (Career Center, Summer School in France, Cotutelle PhD program) primarily to Azerbaijani citizens admitted through the State Examination Center.

Product overview

French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs and research services. The university provides 5 undergraduate programs (BSc in Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Oil and Gas Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, and Chemistry) and 4 graduate programs (MSc in Data Science & AI, Physical Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Geosciences, and Water Resources Management). Students receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and partner French universities (UNISTRA and Rennes 1). The university operates extensive research infrastructure including the PARSEC supercomputer laboratory, chemistry, physics, and network laboratories, and hosts the annual AIDT international conference on AI. Student services include a Career Center, Alumni Network, Golden Book, Summer School in France, and 22 student clubs. The Cotutelle PhD Program enables joint doctoral studies between Azerbaijan and France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSc in Computer Science Bachelor's program developed with University of Strasbourg covering programming, algorithms, AI, cybersecurity, data science and computer systems; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• BSc in Chemical Engineering Bachelor's program covering process design, optimization and scaling of industrial processes, analytical chemistry and quality control; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• BSc in Oil and Gas Engineering Three-year specialization in drilling, reservoir and production engineering, drawing on expertise from Schlumberger and Total; taught in part by University of Rennes 1 and graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and Université Rennes 1.
• BSc in Geophysical Engineering Program managed by EOST Strasbourg covering geology, geophysics, geochemistry and Earth sciences with field-oriented training; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• BSc in Chemistry Bachelor's program covering properties, composition, structure and changes in matter with laboratory practice; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Master's program focusing on Big Data and AI with distributed computing, image analysis and deep neural networks, with access to the PARSEC supercomputer; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• MSc in Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Two-year master's program with three specializations: Chemical Engineering, Physical and Analytical Chemistry, and Chemoinformatics; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• MSc in Geosciences Master's program focusing on modeling of physical and chemical processes within the Earth, with specializations in natural resources or AI applications, managed by EOST Strasbourg; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• MSc in Water Resources and Management Master's program training specialists in water resource analysis and management, covering hydrogeological approaches, water quality assessment and sanitation techniques; graduates receive dual diplomas from ASOIU and UNISTRA.
• Cotutelle PhD Program Joint doctoral research program with ASOIU, University of Strasbourg and other French institutions allowing students to study in both countries with alternating six-month schedules over a 3-year duration.
• PARSEC Supercomputer Research Access High-performance computing facility with 26 interconnected machines delivering 800 TFlops single precision and 1.6 PFlops half-precision, with GPGPU cards for deep learning and the EASEA evolutionary computation platform, supporting the Data Science & AI master's program and research.
• Career Center Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 190 government-funded bachelor's + 110 master's spots annually with 100% placement for Azerbaijani citizens
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint organizer of Sustainable City Solutions Hackathon with ASOIU Startup and TTO department. Participants compete for prizes of 2,500 AZN, 1,500 AZN, and 1,000 AZN.
• INSA Rouen NormandieminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organizer of AIDT 2026 (Artificial Intelligence for Digital Transformations) conference alongside UFAZ, ASOIU, and UNISTRA.
• Embassy of France in AzerbaijanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Co-organizer of first UFAZ Career Fair in 2021 alongside Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Azerbaijan-France Alumni Association.
• Azerbaijan-France Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with UFAZ for inaugural Career Fair 2021, facilitating connections between students and French/Azerbaijani businesses.
• CS-DC UNESCO UniTwinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021UNESCO UniTwin network of 130+ universities working on Complex Systems. UFAZ co-organized CCE 2023 conference under this framework.
• Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020UFAZ elected as full member of AUF in 2020. AUF is a global network of French-language universities supporting higher education and research. Membership provides access to international collaborations and resources.
• Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ASOIU is the founding Azerbaijani partner institution for UFAZ. Students receive dual diplomas from both ASOIU and French partner universities. ASOIU hosts UFAZ facilities, provides administrative support, and collaborates on research through the UFAZ-ASOIU joint research initiatives.
• University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Primary French partner providing internationally recognized curriculum, faculty members for teaching, and joint degree programs. Strasbourg's School and Observatory of Earth Sciences (EOST) manages Geology/Gophysics programs. Manages Cotutelle PhD programs and research collaborations.
• University of Rennes (Université Rennes 1)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016French partner for Petroleum Engineering & Reservoir Geology undergraduate program. Third year of the program is taught by University of Rennes 1. Issues dual diplomas to graduates alongside ASOIU.
• SLB (Schlumberger)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with over 100 companies through UFAZ Career Center. SLB participates in career fairs, provides training sessions for students, and recruits graduates for technical positions in oil and gas industry.
• BP AzerbaijanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor industry partner collaborating through Career Center. BP participates in career fairs, provides internship opportunities, and recruits UFAZ graduates for energy sector positions.
• TotalEnergiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company partner in Career Center ecosystem. Participates in career fairs and industry-academia collaboration events.
• HalliburtonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOilfield services company partnering through Career Center for student recruitment and industry connections.
• Technip EnergiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy industry partner collaborating through Career Center for student development and employment opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Astana IT University: Kazakhstan's government-backed STEM university focused on IT and computer science with international partnerships. Comparable to UFAZ in government-funded model, English-medium instruction, and emerging-regional positioning in technology education.
• Nazarbayev University: Kazakhstan's flagship English-language research university with extensive international partnerships and STEM focus. Closest comparable: English-medium instruction, dual-degree programs with Western universities, government-funded model, and similar positioning as a regional STEM gateway for a former Soviet state.
• Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech): Russian private research university established in partnership with MIT, focused on STEM and English-language instruction. Comparable to UFAZ in international STEM research university positioning, government backing, and English-medium graduate programs.
• ADA University: Azerbaijani university with strong international academic partnerships and government ties. Direct local peer in Baku with overlapping student-recruitment pool and similar positioning for internationally-oriented Azerbaijani students.
• Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi: International branch campus of Paris-Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi offering French-accredited degrees. Comparable model to UFAZ's French university partnership structure with dual-diploma credentials for international students.
• Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi: International branch campus of Sorbonne University in the UAE. Closely mirrors UFAZ's French-international joint university model, delivering French-accredited degrees in a non-French-speaking country with STEM and humanities programs.

Broad incumbents

• KAIST: South Korea's premier government-funded research university focused on STEM with international programs. Comparable in government-backed STEM research university positioning, though at a far more established and mature scale.
• NYU Abu Dhabi: Established international branch campus of NYU serving the same broader regional market for internationally-accredited STEM degrees. Comparable in offering Western-style credentials in a Gulf/Caspian region context, though at a much larger scale and prestige tier.

Regional players

• Khazar University: Private Azerbaijani university offering English-language programs and international affiliations. Local comparable in Baku operating in the same Azerbaijani higher-education market with overlapping student recruitment.

Others

• University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA): Primary French academic partner of UFAZ and source of curriculum, faculty, and dual diplomas. Directly comparable in program content delivered to UFAZ students and serves as the credentialing anchor for UFAZ's dual-degree value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYju9fOGsgSa9RTubt6hrUQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ufaz.university
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ufaz-student-council-usc
• Instagraminstagram.com/french_azerbaijani_university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about French-Azerbaijani University