SDF supports scientists and specialists from academic, education, ministerial, NGO structures, as well as employed and unemployed physical persons through research grants. Types of grant competitions are: so called “Classic grant competition” covering all of branches and directions of science; Young scientists and specialists’ grant competition, up to 35 years old; “Shusha grant” competition, covering Karabakh studies; “Mobility grant” competition, 3 times a year, full support of participation at scientific conferences and short-term trainings abroad; targeted grant competitions such as ICT, Industry grant competitions, so on. Types of projects supported by SDF are: Fundamental;  Applied; Search – innovative; Mega projects (more than 500 000 Euros up to several millions) – so called “pilot projects” aimed in equipping of scientific organizations with super-modern scientific devices, equipment etc. and creating new labs, as well as preparation and training staff abroad to work with these technologies;  Material-technical support (scientific devices, equipment etc.) of labs, researchers; Support of publishing of monographs, books, atlases etc.; Support of organization of scientific conferences in Azerbaijan; support of participation at scientific conferences abroad; support of participation at short-term trainings abroad. International collaboration: BS ERA-NET; UNECE; UNESCO; CNRS (France); Belarusian Republican Foundation of Basic Studies; Kyiv National Technical University, Ukraine; Korean NRF; “Science Foundation”, Kazakhstan; US “Karabakh Foundation”; Elsevier Publishing House; Springer Publishing House.

Advantages are: scientific priorities are changed for each year taking into account trends in world science and collaboration; All branches and directions of science are covered; Preparation of young professionals through trainings abroad;  No limitation to scientific degree and title – only scientific content is major merit; Non dependence on sex, nationality and age; Grant budget directly goes to project leader’s bank account; they get additional salaries, they have ability to travel (business trips), to get ICT facilities, special scientific equipment, so on; SDF buys (dealing with custom, tax and other authorities itself saving time for scientists) and supplies all of scientific devices, equipment, materials directly to scientists; SDF prefers so called “temporary scientific collectives” at grant project application which brings scientists from different organizations (academic, university, NGO, so on) together and stimulate their collaboration; Special weekly tutorial seminars, including those of outside Baku (capital city), how to prepare applications. SDF each year organizes different international and domestic conferences, seminars, trainings, so on.