Cooperation with German scientists discussed

The meeting focused on further strengthening cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany in higher education, science, innovation and industry; promoting the practical implementation of research results; expanding technology transfer; and advancing the digital transformation of production processes.

The participants identified improving the quality of higher education in Uzbekistan, strengthening research capacity, advancing applied research, developing an innovation ecosystem, strengthening university–industry cooperation, improving technology transfer mechanisms, and introducing Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing systems as key priorities.

In this context, the experience of Fraunhofer IPK in applied research, technology transfer, and cooperation among government institutions, academia, research organizations and industry was highlighted as being of particular importance for Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, a number of specific areas for cooperation were proposed. In particular, the establishment of a “Fraunhofer–Uzbekistan Young Researchers Mobility Programme” was proposed based on the Fraunhofer International Mobility Programme and the Fraunhofer Attract grant programme. Under the proposed initiative, young Uzbek researchers would be sent to Fraunhofer laboratories for periods of 3–6 months and subsequently engaged in commercialization projects to be implemented at local enterprises.

The establishment of a Fraunhofer Innovation Platform specializing in “Water and Green Energy Technologies” at Tashkent State Technical University, as well as the launch of a digital laboratory for robotics and artificial intelligence at Tashkent University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, were also proposed.

In addition, the participants discussed the possibility of jointly submitting a pilot project on the recovery of resources from industrial and wastewater to the grant programme of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for Central Asia. They also considered leveraging Fraunhofer’s expertise to integrate scientific developments into industry through international platforms and to support their commercialization.

Representatives of Uzbekistan’s higher education institutions and research institutes who attended the meeting also put forward their proposals regarding promising areas for cooperation.