On January 31, a meeting of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan was held in a hybrid format.

The event, held at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies, was attended by the President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbayli, members of the Presidium, Advisor to the Minister of Science and Education Nijat Mammadli, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Vugar Karimov, Rector of Baku State University Elchin Babayev, representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, general directors of scientific institutions and organizations, representatives of higher educational institutions, medical institutions and the media.

First, those present got acquainted with the exhibition, reflecting the important results obtained by scientists of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences of ANAS (DBMS) in 2022. 

Opening the event, the President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbayli familiarized everyone with the agenda. The head of ANAS recalled that in January of this year, at the meetings of the Presidium of ANAS, reports were heard on the activities of the departments of humanitarian, social, physical, mathematical and technical, chemical, earth sciences, Lankaran and Sheki regional scientific centers in 2022. He noted that this year the reports are presented in a different format, in large audiences, and this step plays an important role in bringing the achievements of Azerbaijani scientists to the general public.

Informing about the reforms being carried out at the Academy, the President of ANAS noted that the Department of the Electronic Academy was created at the expense of internal resources in the apparatus of the Presidium, whose activities are aimed at improving Wikipedia materials, analyzing scientometric indicators, ensuring the entry of journals into international databases, etc. Academician Isa Habibbayli noted that the increase in the number of articles published by Azerbaijani scientists in journals with impact factor is one of the main goals, and said that an agreement was reached on the inclusion of scientific journals of ANAS in the register of the electronic database "DergiPark" (ULAKBIM).

Academician Isa Habibbayli also stressed that for the first time ANAS was accepted as a member of an international scientific organization - the Association of Academies of Sciences and Scientific Communities of Asia, and work related to the admission of ANAS to the Association of Academies of Sciences of Europe is currently underway. The President of ANAS said that the membership of the Academy in international associations will help expand the scope of Azerbaijani science and strengthen the ties of our scientists with foreign colleagues.

Then the Vice-President of ANAS, Chairman of the Academic Council of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Academician Irada Huseynova presented a report on the scientific and scientific-organizational activities of the division in 2022.

First, the memory of academician Jalal Aliyev and correspondent member of ANAS Tofig Mammadov was commemorated with a minute of silence.

Academician Irada Huseynova said that in the reporting year, studies were carried out aimed at fulfilling the tasks set by decrees and orders of the head of the country, decrees and orders of the Cabinet of Ministers, resolutions of the General Assembly and the Presidium of ANAS, as well as the tasks related to the announcement of 2022 in the Republic of Azerbaijan as the "The Year of Shusha", instructions on the implementation of the State Program for the "Development of Cocoon and Sericulture in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018-2025", "The State Program for the Development of Cotton Growing in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2017-2022", "The State Program for Ensuring Food Security in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018-2025", etc., including the preparation of the III edition of the "Red Book" of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Also, the coordination of research carried out at the institutes of the Division and the Lankaran Regional Scientific Center of ANAS, research and educational institutions of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, research institutions of TABIB, relevant departments of higher educational institutions.

Academician Irada Huseynova noted that the Division and institutes actively participated in the work of the Working Group on Environmental Issues of the Interdepartmental Center operating under the Coordination Headquarters, created to centrally resolve issues in the territories liberated from occupation, and other working groups, as well as in the implementation of relevant action programs, conducting biological and radioecological monitoring in the region and assessing the scale of environmental terror committed by Armenia in Karabakh. Thus, numerous expeditions were carried out to Kalbajar, Zangilan, Gubadli, Fizuli, Shusha and other regions, monitoring of rare and endangered species, soil and water resources, sources of drinking water, forest and other ecosystems was carried out. In particular, expeditionary studies in the Okhchuchay river basin have acquired great importance, since the results of monitoring confirm that water belongs to the category of polluted waters and pollution occurs mainly in the territory of Armenia.

Saying that one of the most urgent problems that are in the focus of the Division is the preparation of the third edition of the "Red Book" of the Republic of Azerbaijan, academician Irada Huseynova noted that during the reporting period, the editorial board and working groups of ANAS worked under the control of the Division. She noted that scientific research and writing abstracts with characteristic drawings and distribution maps related to the preparation of the third edition of the Red Book have now been completed, as well as the work of the creative team on the final editing and design of materials has been completed.

Work has been intensified to study the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea and its surrounding ecosystems, as well as the biological resources of the sea.

In the reporting year, research in the field of biological, agricultural and medical sciences was mainly carried out in such areas as the study, restoration, protection, efficient use of biodiversity, land and water resources using modern approaches, as well as the creation of electronic databases and maps, the study of molecular genetic and physico-chemical foundations of biological processes, genomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies, development of fundamental and applied foundations of new bio-, nano- and post-genomic technologies, application of computer biology, machine learning methods, artificial intelligence in biology and medicine, studies of physiological and molecular-genetic bases of pathologies, development of new methods of diagnostics and treatment, development of medicines, application of high technologies and stem cells in reproductive medicine. 

The speaker said that in the reporting year, studies were conducted on 22 problems, 82 topics, 246 works and 501 stages, 6 topics, 31 works and 369 stages were completed. In medical institutions, research was conducted on 32 problems, 145 topics (17 completed), 305 works (32 completed), 527 stages (76 completed). In 2022, 23 results were obtained in the institutions of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, as a result of international and local cooperation - 5, in non-departmental scientific and educational institutions - 2, in the field of medicine - 16, in the field of agricultural sciences - 2 important results. In the reporting year, the institutes of the Division received 6 patents, and scientific, medical and educational institutions of the republic - 16 patents. 

Speaking about publishing activities, academician Irada Huseynova noted that during the reporting period, the scientists of the Institutes of the Division published 1099 scientific papers, including 14 books (2 abroad), 17 monographs (1 abroad), 547 articles (317 abroad, 165 of which in journals with an impact factor, and 86 in journals included in the Web of Science and Scopus databases), 521 abstracts (198 abroad). 3100 references were made to the work of employees. Employees of non-departmental medical institutions published 3056 scientific papers, including 20 books (2 abroad), 22 monographs (1 abroad), 1445 articles (579 abroad, 84 of them in journals included in the Web of Science and Scopus databases), 1569 abstracts (585 abroad), scientific papers were cited 390 times.

The speaker also drew attention to the fact that currently 16 young specialists of the Division continue their education at the doctoral level at well-known foreign universities.

Information on the integration of science and education, international relations, training, international laboratories operating in the institutions of the Department, the state of electronic science, conferences, seminars and anniversaries, awards were also presented in the report.

After listening to the report, Corresponding Members of ANAS Elmar Gasimov, Zeynal Akbarov, Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva, Rector of Baku State University Elchin Babayev and Doctor of Philosophy in Agrarian Sciences Javanshir Talai spoke and expressed their opinions and proposals. A video presentation by the professor of Cambridge University, Head of the Laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies professor Garib Murshudov was also listened to.

Academician Isa Habibbayli, who spoke later, highly appreciated the research conducted at the Division, the international relations of the DBMS institutions, the training of young specialists abroad, the increase in the number of articles published in journals with an impact factor, and the research work carried out in the territories liberated from occupation.

In conclusion, by the decision of the Presidium the activities of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences in 2022 were recognized as satisfactory.