- Arizona State University expands its Central Asia presence with two new Kazakhstan partnerships announced during the historic C5+1 Summit at the White House.
- ASU and Cintana Education launch an International Honors College at Auezov University and co-create the new InnoTech University focused on innovation and technology.
- The initiatives aim to boost regional access to high-quality education, backed by government support including up to 350 annual scholarships for ASU-affiliated programs.
Arizona State University is strengthening its footprint in Central Asia with the introduction of two major university partnerships in Kazakhstan, unveiled during the C5+1 Summit in Washington, D.C. This year’s summit was significant not only because it convened the United States and the five Central Asian nations Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan but also because it was held for the first time at the White House, marking the first joint visit of all five Central Asian presidents to the U.S. capital.
Against this backdrop of elevated diplomatic engagement, ASU announced new initiatives that align with the summit’s mission to promote regional collaboration in innovation, security, education and economic development. ASU, together with Cintana Education, formalized two new additions to the ASU-Cintana Alliance: an International Honors College at Auezov University and the establishment of a new institution, InnoTech University.
These partnerships reflect ASU’s longstanding engagement in Kazakhstan, which includes decades of language and academic initiatives through the Melikian Center and its Critical Languages Institute, long-running defense and border-security programs facilitated by U.S. federal agencies, and a steady rise in the number of Kazakh students choosing ASU for higher education. Both Auezov University and InnoTech University were selected by Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, signaling high-level confidence in ASU’s global academic model. Their inclusion brings the ASU-Cintana Alliance to 34 partner universities serving over 360,000 students worldwide.
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Julia Rosen, ASU’s vice president of Global Academic Initiatives, described Kazakhstan as a dynamic regional force shaped by its natural resources, youthful demographics and a government deeply committed to innovation and educational advancement. She emphasized that the new partnerships aim to broaden access to high-quality higher education and cultivate the talent needed to support long-term prosperity in Central Asia.
Auezov University, one of Kazakhstan’s largest public universities, enrolls more than 17,000 students in Shymkent, a fast-growing economic hub. Its new International Honors College, developed in collaboration with ASU, will offer ambitious students globally oriented learning pathways and internationally recognized credentials. To further support access, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education plans to offer up to 350 annual scholarships for students pursuing ASU-supported programs.
In parallel, ASU and Cintana Education are collaborating with Q Education Group and the Kazakh government to launch InnoTech University, a private institution dedicated to innovation, technology and market-driven academic programs. Initially located in Almaty, the university will eventually relocate to the futuristic Science City (Alatau), envisioned as a digital hub linking Europe, China and Central Asia under the “New Silk Road” initiative. Cagri Bagcioglu, regional CEO for Cintana Education, noted that InnoTech University is designed from the ground up to integrate education, research and industry in a way that could redefine the region’s technological landscape.
