President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a strategy for reforming higher education, science, and innovation. The main direction of the updated policy will be a shift from direct allocation of budget funds to a system focused on specific achievements of educational institutions and their relevance in the labor market.
The central element of the reform will be the launch of the "U10 – Flagship Universities of Uzbekistan" program. On a competitive basis, ten leading higher education institutions in the country will be selected to receive the status of national research universities. On their basis, plans are underway to create powerful scientific clusters—consortia that combine the potential of local and foreign universities, research institutes, and industrial giants. To implement this initiative, each winning university will receive up to 150 billion soums from the Science Financing Fund, which will strengthen infrastructure and accelerate the implementation of innovations.
Radical changes will also affect how the state pays for student education. Starting in 2027, a mechanism to incentivize universities will be introduced, directly dependent on their positions in the national ranking. The assessment will consider not only the quality of education but also the level of digitalization, international partnerships, and, particularly importantly, the actual employment of graduates. Now, the size of the state grant will become flexible: it will be calculated based on the complexity of educational programs, the university's ranking, and the actual demand of the economy for specific specialists.
Parallel to the education reform, the state intends to commercialize scientific activities through the creation of so-called "spin-off" enterprises. This model involves building a direct chain of "industry – enterprise – university," where scientific developments quickly turn into real innovative products and services. This approach will allow universities not only to develop theory but also to increase their entrepreneurial activity, ensuring technology transfer to industry.
Alongside internal transformations, Uzbekistan aims to solidify its status as a regional educational hub. For this purpose, the international "New Uzbekistan Scholarship" program is being launched, under which up to 500 talented foreign citizens annually will be able to study at state universities of the republic on a grant basis. According to the head of state, the phased implementation of these measures will elevate domestic higher education to a qualitatively new level, corresponding to world standards.
Source: podrobno.uz