Cooperation in Education and Research: The Second Forum between Italian and Uzbek Rectors

On February 18, 2026, the second Italy–Uzbekistan Rectors’ Forum opened at Roma Tre University, organized by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI) in collaboration with the Ministry of University and Research, Roma Tre University, and the Uzbek Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

The Forum was attended by the Italian Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and her Uzbek counterpart, Kongratbay Sharipov, who also held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the event.

During the proceedings, ten joint research projects between Italian and Uzbek universities were presented. The initiatives are co-financed by the two countries, with an allocation of one million euros each. The projects cover strategic areas such as agri-food supply chains, water resource and mobility sustainability, artificial intelligence, as well as medical prevention and research. They are coordinated by the Universities of Pisa, Trieste, Roma Tre, Trento, Padua, Perugia, Tuscia and Bergamo, together with the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the National Research Council (CNR).

The President of the Italy–Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, Giorgio Veronesi, and the Vice President for Institutional Relations, Marco Farci, also took part in the Forum. Among the Uzbek institutions present were the Tashkent Institute of Chemical Technology (TICT) and the Polytechnic University of Turin in Tashkent, whose campus has been active for more than 15 years and with which the Chamber has a longstanding partnership.

In recent years, the partnership between Italy and Uzbekistan in the field of education has significantly intensified, marked by Minister Bernini’s official visit to Uzbekistan in September 2024 on the occasion of the first Rectors’ Forum, and by the Rectors’ roundtable “Uzbekistan and Italy: New Horizons for Scientific Cooperation,” held in Samarkand in April 2025. These institutional milestones laid the groundwork for new bilateral agreements, some of which were also signed during Prime Minister Meloni’s official visit in May last year.

On this occasion, CIUZ Vice President Farci stated:

“Following the visit of our Prime Minister, who was in Uzbekistan in May, the country is positioning itself as a major partner for Italy in many fields. Today we are celebrating education, as Uzbekistan has become the leading hub for Italian universities abroad, with four Italian branches established there and a steadily growing student exchange. Cooperation between Italy and Uzbekistan spans numerous sectors. From a labor perspective as well, we know that an agreement has been signed under the migration quotas decree, allowing Uzbek citizens to work legally in Italy. Uzbekistan is therefore making a significant contribution to Italy, and we are contributing in return through technology, science, and cooperation.”

Sources: 

MUR

Italpress

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