Within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens (KRBG) and the Institute of Botany of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the protection and sustainable use of plant diversity of Azerbaijan, the general director of the institute, doctor of biological sciences, professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva, the scientific worker of the ethnobotany department, Ph.D. in biology, Nuri Movsumova and the head of the education department, Ph.D. in biology, Kamala Asadova were on a scientific mission in London, Great Britain.
The purpose of the visit was to discuss the project implemented jointly with the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership of the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the new project. A series of meetings were held under Ian Willey, the coordinator of the programs of the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) for the Caucasus region. During the meeting with MSB project coordinator Aishay Faruk, discussions were held on the results and future prospects of the research work carried out under the "Hotspots of Endangered Biodiversity" project. Also, with Dr. Bob Allkin, the program manager of Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, information was exchanged about Azerbaijan's rich medicinal plant species, the planned joint project was discussed and preliminary steps were taken. Under the new project "Plants for Health" initiative of KRBG, research for the expansion of the global catalog of medicinal plants has been started. These studies are planned to be carried out gradually and long-term.
During the visit, the employees got acquainted with the Herbarium fund and research areas of KRBG, where they exchanged ideas with a number of experts on the conditions of storage and protection of plants.
During the visit, the general director S. Ibadullayeva met with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Great Britain, Elin Suleymanov. During the meeting, S. Ibadullayeva emphasized that there are opportunities for doctoral students and doctoral students studying at the Institute of Botany to undergo internships in British research centers, and the creation of certain conditions in this direction was discussed.
