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On October 5–6, 2023, the first management meeting of the Erasmus+ project titled Developing Institutional Repositories Network in Azerbaijan (DIRNA), coordinated by Khazar University, was held in Baku.

The meeting took place at Khazar University and brought together project partner universities from both Azerbaijan and Europe. The Azerbaijani partners included Khazar University, Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University, State Customs Academy of Azerbaijan, Ganja State University, Nakhchivan State University, Mingachevir State University, and Lankaran State University. The European partners included the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), the University of L’Aquila (Italy), and İzmir Institute of Technology (Turkey).

The official opening session began with a welcoming speech by Professor-Academician Hamlet Isakhanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees. This was followed by remarks from Associate Professor Irada Khalilova, Rector of Khazar University, and Mr. Parviz Baghirov, Director of the National Erasmus+ Office in Azerbaijan.

The project officer from the European Commission, Ms. Rosalba Nardelli, joined the meeting online and extended her best wishes for the success of the project to all partners.

Each partner university delivered a presentation introducing their institution and outlining their expected contributions to the project.

During the two-day meeting, participants discussed the overall work plan of the project, financial and administrative matters, the roles and responsibilities of each partner, as well as potential risks and strategies for mitigating them.

During the two-day meeting, participants discussed the overall work plan of the project, financial and administrative matters, the roles and responsibilities of each partner, as well as potential risks and strategies for mitigating them.