A welcome to Samarkand

Welcome to Samarkand

Samarkand, best known for its gilded minarets dating back to the Silk Road golden age, has come to the center of international attention again when in April 2025 it hosted the leaders of the European Union and of the five countries of Central Asia. They met to declare strategic partnership between these two important world regions. To put the declaration of enhanced partnership in the sphere of higher education into life, we are organizing in the same historic city a year later the Congress of Universities of Central Asia and the European Union, Samarkand 2026.

Due to its fast growing economy, rich natural resources and impressive demographics as well as geopolitics, Central Asia has become a region of significant importance. The region has what Europe lacks: gas, oil, uranium ore, as well as other rare earth elements. The fact that young people constitute the largest demographic group in the societies of Uzbekistan and other countries of Central Asia, makes the region a particularly interesting partner in higher education. In the past few years, more 100 new tertiary schools was organized in Uzbekistan.

To the Congress in Samarkand we are inviting universities and higher education authorities from the five countries of Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and universities and HE authorities from European Union countries. The Congress will be focused mainly on two fields of education: engineering and medicine. It is organized in cooperation with two trusted partners: the Perspektywy Education Foundation (Poland) and IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence(Belgium).

The accompanying events will allow you enjoy the cultural and architectural heritage of Samarkand, and (optional) Bukhara, the other prominent Silk Road city.

Why come to Samarkand?

It all comes to the realization that in today's geopolitical landscape Central Asia comes out of the shadows; the region has the resources and potential to claim its place on the global scene. Europe has noticed it seeing in Central Asia a strategic partner.  Higher education and science can play an important role in this partnership. The Congress: Central Asia – European Union, Samarkand 2026 promises to be a door opener for closer cooperation between universities and researchers of the two regions.

The Congress in Samarkand will focus on Engineering and Medicine – in both these fields European universities have a lot to offer but they have a lot to learn, too from universities growing fast and thriving in Central Asia, the region of the sought after resources and an impressive upward demography. The fact that each region is rich where the other is not provides excellent opportunities for both.

In the preparations for Congress in Samarkand are involved two European educational organizations: 

• Perspektywy Education Foundation (Poland), an organization with a long record of supporting higher education in Poland and Europe with special emphasis on engineering education and broader participation of young women in this education.

• and IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence (Belgium), an international organization promoting best practices in rankings and quality of higher education institutions.

Perspektywy and IREG Observatory are proud to be invited to be involved in the organization of the Congress in Samarkand.