Rector's Interview With Uzbekistan's UzA News Agency on the Outcomes of Innoprom Conference in Tashkent

13:57, April 7, 2021

Victor Koksharov during the Innoprom industrial exhibition gave interview to one of the major media agencies

Rector Victor Koksharov gave interview to one of the major news agency of Uzbekistan - UzA. We provide an official transcript translated into English.

How do you see the development of cooperation between UrFU and industrial enterprises of the Republic of Uzbekistan?

We aim to significantly expand the range of partners in Uzbekistan, interact with industrial enterprises, choose the best practices aimed at implementing joint projects in the long term.

Ural Federal University has 15 partners among educational institutions with rich geography: in Tashkent, Namangan, Navoi, Samarkand, Urgench, Bukhara and Fergana. In addition, we actively cooperate with the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan - our scientists conduct successful joint research in the field of archeology, the history of the Central Asian region, bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan.

We aim to significantly expand the circle of partners in Uzbekistan, interact with industrial enterprises, and support academic exchange (students, teachers).

The most talented students from Uzbekistan can already start a successful career right here in the Urals, become highly qualified specialists, and bring advanced competencies to Uzbekistan. To do this, you only need to enroll in one of 450 programs: bachelor's, master's, or immediately go to science and get to our graduate school. I will add that in addition to teaching in Russian at UrFU, at the moment there are opportunities for teaching in English: 15 master's programs and 23 postgraduate programs in various areas. Also double degree programs will be of interest for Uzbekistan's talented youth.

We also have rich experience in working with businesses from Europe, Russia and Central Asia. We are ready to use this experience in working with Uzbekistan. We would like to build a special relationship with our colleagues in Uzbekistan, since your country is among the highest priority areas in the strategic development of our international relations.

In what areas is UrFU ready to develop close partnerships with the universities of the Republic of Uzbekistan?

We are interested in developing cooperation with universities in the field of energy, construction and engineering, metallurgy, applied research in chemistry and physics, as well as the humanities, especially in the field of history and cultural studies. Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that we would like to significantly increase the number of students and teachers in the framework of academic exchange: this is a wonderful tool for building fruitful cooperation, because Uzbekistan is our close partner, if we take the scale of bilateral public and interstate interaction.

What awaits students from Uzbekistan in Yekaterinburg upon admission to the Ural Federal University?

We have comfortable conditions for accepting foreign students, including from Uzbekistan. UrFU has a student community of Uzbekistan, which performs a number of social functions that are most important for students: adaptation in our environment, solving everyday issues, involvement in university life, etc. Every year our students themselves conduct events dedicated to the cultural features of the countries from which they came our foreign students. Let me emphasize that the international and multicultural environment that has been created at UrFU is unique: more than 4300 students from 101 countries of the world study with us. Here students have the opportunity to make friends from different parts of the world.

What tasks is the new Association UPI, Ural State University and UrFU Alumni from the Republic of Uzbekistan intended to solve?

We strive for the Ural Federal University to be closer to Uzbekistan, too, to be closer to us. Today we have over 300 graduates from Uzbekistan. Together with colleagues, we will perform a number of tasks: Promotion of UrFU, joint projects, cultural events, historical memory, interaction with new and old partners through a wide network of alumni.

Source: UzA News