- Grenoble INP-Phelma to open Kazakhstan campus in Almaty by 2026, offering dual degree programs in nuclear, renewable energy, and advanced engineering, in partnership with Satbayev University.
- Students will gain hands-on training in France’s nuclear facilities, aligning with Kazakhstan’s plans to build its first nuclear power plant and develop a skilled energy workforce.
- This move follows Colorado School of Mines’ announcement to open its first international campus in Zhezkazgan, reinforcing Kazakhstan's strategy to become a regional hub for advanced engineering and energy education.
The Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education has closed a deal with Grenoble INP-Phelma, UGA- France's leading engineering school with a focus on physics, electronics, and materials science to establish a branch campus in Almaty in 2026. The new campus will be operated jointly with Satbayev University, one of Kazakhstan's leading technical universities.
The contract was signed by the vice presidents of the two universities in front of Kazakhstan's Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, and the French Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sylvain Guiguet.
Grenoble INP-Phelma, situated in the city of Grenoble, is a part of the Grenoble Institute of Technology and is world-renowned for its superior quality of engineering education.
Phelma's Kazakhstan branch will provide double degree programs in Nuclear Engineering, Renewable Engineering, and Advanced Studies. The program's mission is to educate highly skilled professionals in nuclear and renewable energy, areas of increasing strategic value as Kazakhstan moves toward building its first nuclear power plant.
Students who participate in the program will be able to do practical training in French nuclear power plants, which have 56 reactors and provide over 70% of France's power. The practical training will get graduates ready for work in Kazakhstan's changing energy industry.
The Times of Central Asia earlier reported that the Colorado School of Mines would also establish its first international campus in Kazakhstan in 2026. The campus will be in Zhezkazgan, the heart of Kazakhstan's geological industry.
The Colorado School of Mines has already signed a dual degree agreement with Satbayev University in geology, petroleum engineering, and mining, with collaborative research projects.
