Fot. „Perspektywy”
The University of Gdańsk is one of the leaders in cooperation between universities in Uzbekistan and Poland. Currently, 34 Uzbek students are studying at the University of Gdańsk. On Wednesday, during the 2nd Forum of Rectors of these two countries, four more agreements were signed on cooperation and academic exchange, as well as on joint projects in the fields of economics, journalism, and language studies.
On 23 April, the main deliberations of the 2nd Forum of Rectors of Poland and Uzbekistan took place at the University of Warsaw with the participation of Deputy Ministers Sarvarkhonena Buzrukhonova and Andrzej Szeptycki.
‘Universities in Uzbekistan are serious and very promising partners for academic cooperation for Polish universities,’ emphasises Rector prof. Piotr Stepnowski, who represented the University of Gdańsk and the Conference of Rectors of Universities in Poland (CRUP), which he chairs, during the Forum. ‘During the meeting, we summarised our cooperation to date with universities in Tashkent and Samarkand. The good atmosphere of the meeting, concrete arrangements and agreements were possible thanks to the support of both our Ministry of Science and Higher Education and representatives of the corresponding ministry in Uzbekistan.’
The cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and universities in Uzbekistan is an important element of the university's internationalisation strategy. It contributes to the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as to the initiation and development of joint projects in the field of broadly understood academic cooperation. These relations include teaching, scientific and organisational activities, and their intensity and scope vary depending on the faculty.
The most dynamic cooperation is developing at the Faculty of Law and Administration, which for five years has been conducting intensive partnership activities with Tashkent State University of Law (TSUL) - a leading law university in Central Asia and one of the strategic partners of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk. The scope of cooperation includes:
- Academic mobility and student exchange - the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk has hosted over 20 representatives of TSUL as part of the Erasmus+ programme, two original exchange initiatives have been implemented, involving over 160 students from Uzbekistan, and currently the first student from the University of Gdańsk is spending a semester studying at TSUL.
- Joint study programmes - two double degree programmes have been established: International Financial Law and Environmental Law and Sustainable Development. Work is underway on a third programme: Cyber Law, Cyber Security and AI.
- Scientific cooperation - UG staff participate in international conferences organised by TSUL (e.g. Inno Cyber Law Week 2025), and co-authored publications on new technology law, digitisation and the application of AI in administration are also being produced.
- Support for other UG units - WPiA supports other faculties in establishing contacts with Uzbek partners and shares its experience in building academic relations.
Joint activities also take place at other faculties, particularly in the field of economics and management. The Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Economics carry out exchanges with the Tashkent State University of Economics (TSUE) and the National University of Uzbekistan. Currently:
- 3 students from Uzbekistan are studying for a second-cycle degree at the Faculty of Management (Finance and Accounting),
- 1 student at the Faculty of Economics (majoring in International Business),
New student and staff exchange programmes are being prepared and will be implemented on the basis of inter-university agreements. The latest of these provide, among other things, for exchanges between UG faculties and Uzbek partners with the possibility of ECTS credit recognition, free study within limits and organisational and visa support.
According to the Director of the Cooperation and International Relations Office, mgr Magdalena Sawicz, our university currently has an active network of agreements with 11 universities in Uzbekistan, including TSUL, TSUE, National University of Uzbekistan, University of Tashkent for Applied Sciences, Westminster International University in Tashkent, Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Law Enforcement Academy, Tashkent Institute of Finance, Tashkent International University and Karakalpak State University.
‘This cooperation is a model example of a multifaceted academic partnership, covering both teaching and research, with a clear perspective for further development,’ adds mgr Magdalena Sawicz.
The Perspektywy Educational Foundation, which runs the Study in Poland programme, is actively involved in the organisation of the 2nd Forum of Rectors of Uzbekistan and Poland, as well as other activities related to the internationalisation of universities. The Wednesday event was attended by over 100 participants representing, among others, over 50 universities from both countries, deputy ministers of science and higher education of Poland and Uzbekistan, representatives of the management of NCBR, NAWA, FRSE and the Perspektywy Educational Foundation. On that day, nearly 40 cooperation agreements were signed. The next forum will be held next year in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Detailed information about the Forum can be found on the Perspektywy website.
