UFAZ Students Win First Place in the “One Idea” Innovation Competition

Huseyn Balayev, a Computer Science student, and Emil Azizov, a Petroleum Engineering and Reservoir Geology student at the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ), have won first place in the “One Idea” innovation competition organized by Coca-Cola İçecek.

The competition attracted more than 200 innovative ideas and aimed to encourage young people to develop their creativity, turn their ideas into practical solutions, and bring innovation into the business environment. After passing several selection stages, our students presented their concept in the semifinals and secured a place among the finalist teams.

Their journey began in May 2026. In August, they took part in an intensive three-day Innovation Bootcamp at the Coca-Cola factory in Baku, where they worked with industry professionals to further develop their idea. This was followed by two months of mentorship, during which the team significantly refined its original concept, developed a working platform, and tested its solution in a real retail store.

Following months of preparation and development, Huseyn Balayev and Emil Azizov presented the results of their project to the jury at the national final and secured first place in the competition.

It is worth noting that the “One Idea” competition was organized in Azerbaijan for the first time by Coca-Cola İçecek, with the support of Anadolu Group. Throughout the competition, participants attended training sessions on project management and innovation, received mentorship, and had the opportunity to develop prototypes of their ideas and create solutions addressing real business needs. At the final stage, projects were evaluated based on problem identification, the effectiveness and innovation of the proposed solutions, their potential impact, and presentation quality.

Winning first place has earned our students the opportunity to represent Azerbaijan at the international stage. In November, Huseyn Balayev and Emil Azizov will travel to Istanbul, Türkiye, to compete against winning teams from other countries.

We congratulate our students on this remarkable achievement and wish them every success at the international stage!