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“Social Bridges” Startup Marathon held at Mingachevir State University

On March 10, 2026, the “Social Bridges” Startup Marathon dedicated to SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, was held at the Mingachevir Youth House. The event was jointly organized by the Departments of Information Technologies and Humanities of Mingachevir State University (MSU).

The main objective of the marathon was to present projects that contribute to expanding equal opportunities in society through students’ social innovation and startup ideas, promoting social inclusion, and strengthening connections among different social groups.

During the event, six teams of students representing both departments presented their startup projects aimed at promoting social equality and offering innovative solutions to social challenges.

The projects presented at the marathon were as follows:

“Equal Step” Team
Project: AccessMap – Accessible City Map
Team members:

  • Arzu Guliyeva – T24
  • Deniz Jafarli – T24
  • Polad Bayramov – T23.2

“Orbital” Team
Project: Re-Route
Team members:

  • Umid Mirzammammadov – IT 23.1
  • Nicat Suleymanov – IT 24.1
  • Ilaha Majidli – IT 24.1
  • Mahammadali Shikhiyev – IT 24.1

“Equalway” Team
Project: Transport Bridge
Team members:

  • Nihat Mahmudov – IT 23.1
  • Rovshan Mammad – IT 23.2
  • Nihat Mustafazade – IT 23.1

“Bridge of the Future” Team
Project: Opportunities from Village to City
Team members:

  • Seymur Aliyev – IT 23.1
  • Parvin Alimammadov – IT 23.1
  • Ruslan Rafiyev – IT 23.1
  • Umid Mirzammammadov – IT 23.1

“Social Innovators” Team
Project: Bridge Up – A digital platform connecting youth directly with industry professionals
Team members:

  • Khumar Mammadli – T23.1
  • Turkan Shikhmammadova – T23.1
  • Ragsana Zulfugarova – T23.2

“BridgeMakers” Team
Project: Invest Bridge
Team members:

  • Nicat Abdilov – IT 23.2
  • Omar Israilov – IT 23.2
  • Nurlan Jafarli – IT 23.2
  • Sanan Ilyasov – IT 23.2
  • Murad Abdulkhaliqov – IT 23.2

After listening to the project presentations, the results of the marathon were determined based on the scores given by the experts. The winners were announced as follows:

  • 1st place – “BridgeMakers” team with 27 points
  • 2nd place – “Equalway” team with 23 points
  • 3rd place – “Orbital” team with 20 points

The projects were evaluated by the experts: Vafa Maharramova, Director of the Lifelong Learning Center; Leyla Ismayilzade, lecturer at the Department of Information Technologies; and Shalala Guliyeva, lecturer at the Department of Humanities.

It should be noted that such initiatives contribute to the development of students’ skills in innovative thinking, social entrepreneurship, and startup culture, while also supporting the generation of new ideas and solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities.