Delegation from Al Farabi Kazakh National University welcomed at SOAS
SOAS University of London welcomed a delegation from Al Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) to its campus on Tuesday 31 January. Led by the Professor Zhanseit Tuimebayev, the Almaty (Kazakhstan) based University delegation met with SOAS Director Adam Habib, as well as the Heads of Colleges and colleagues from the School of Law, the Department of Politics and International Studies and the Centre on Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus.
SOAS and KazNU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and engaged in positive discussion on the possibility of interdisciplinary academic and student mobility. The two higher education institutions also discussed the scope for research collaboration, and SOAS hosting doctoral and post-doctoral scholars who would be funded by the Bolashak ('Future') Programme of the Kazakhstani Government.
KazNU has recently expanded its global relationships with universities in Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Qatar, signing a Memorandum with Qatar University in October last year.
Dr Bhavna Davé, Senior Lecturer at SOAS in Politics of Central Asia, facilitated the meeting and the MoU. Dr Davé obtained a British Council INTERLINKS grant back in September 2022, with the aim to establish links between UK and Kazakhstani higher education institutes and to develop a strategy for long-term, sustainable partnership.
The grant enabled SOAS's Department of Politics and International Studies, and KazNU’s International Relations department to include L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) in their work. The collaboration focused on Research Design and Methodology.
Dr Davé and four other members of the Politics and International Studies department delivered lectures and interactive sessions about research methodology to doctoral students at both Kazakhstani universities. During her visit to Kazakhstan in December 2022, Dr Davé had meetings with academics, deans, and rectors to prepare for the signing of the MoU. ENU (based in Astana, Kazakhstan) and SOAS have also begun the process of an MoU signing.
Pictured: Director Adam Habib (right) and Professor Zhanseit Tuimebayev (left) signing the MoU.
