Tokayev proposes launching Kazakhstan-Germany educational exchange program
In his remarks, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the achievements in educational cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany. According to the President, these achievements have been made possible by the strengthening of political dialogue, which began with the visit of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Astana in June 2023.
“Today, 45 Kazakh universities cooperate with around 100 German partners. Around 2,000 students from Kazakhstan are studying in Germany. More than 30 branches and partnerships of foreign universities are now operating in Kazakhstan. These figures speak for themselves. But numbers alone do not define the depth of a partnership. What matters is what we are building together. And here I see a fundamental change in the nature of our cooperation,” the President said.
The Head of State identified establishing Kazakhstan as a leading academic and research hub in Eurasia as one of the country’s strategic priorities.
“We are changing the traditional model. Instead of relying mainly on sending young people abroad, we are bringing the standards and expertise of leading international universities to Kazakhstan. Cardiff University, KAIST and the Colorado School of Mines are among the institutions already present in our country. More than 40,000 international students currently study in Kazakhstan. Our target is to reach 100,000 by 2029. As a member of the Bologna Process, Kazakhstan applies European standards of quality assurance and degree comparability,” he said.
As Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted, partnerships between higher education institutions of the two countries are giving rise to educational and research centers aligned with the needs of Kazakhstan’s economy. This work has resulted in the opening of joint Kazakh-German universities in the Mangystau and East Kazakhstan regions as well as in Almaty.
“These examples demonstrate an important principle. The strongest academic partnerships are those that respond to real economic and technological needs. Universities should not exist in isolation from industry. Research should lead to new technologies. And education should provide economies with highly qualified professionals,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State then outlined his vision for further cooperation. He proposed three key areas of partnership aimed at moving from the exchange of knowledge to its joint creation.
“First, we should expand joint educational and dual-degree programmes across our partner institutions. It is important to create new opportunities for students and researchers to work together in both countries. In this regard, I propose establishing a special Kazakh-German educational exchange program which will create favorable conditions for closer academic ties between our countries,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President identified joint scientific research as the second key area.
“Kazakhstan, which is pursuing closer integration into the European Research Area, has begun negotiations to join Horizon Europe as an associated country. Our country is already a full participant in the European Partnership on Raw Materials, with a total budget of more than 300 million euros. The TiBeRIUM project is a practical example of such cooperation. Launched this year with 7.5 million euros from Horizon Europe and led by the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, the project brings together East Kazakhstan Technical University and the Ulba Metallurgical Plant. Its objective is to develop low-carbon production chains for titanium and beryllium. We should expand precisely this kind of cooperation, which brings together universities, research and industry, strengthens supply chains and allows us to move from raw materials towards products and technologies with higher added value,” he said.
According to the Head of State, the third area of partnership is technology transfer. Kazakhstan is increasing research spending to 1 percent of GDP while creating incentives for companies to invest in university research. In this context, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited German businesses to establish engineering laboratories and technology transfer centers at joint institutions, expressing readiness to support such initiatives through co-financing.
The President also highlighted the field of artificial intelligence, which offers opportunities to take cooperation to a new level.
“Through the AI-Sana programme, more than 700,000 students have acquired certified AI skills. We have deployed the alem.cloud supercomputer cluster, established a specialized AI research university and adopted one of the region’s first laws on artificial intelligence. All these efforts are well-complemented by cutting-edge supercomputers. This creates new opportunities for cooperation with German research institutions and industry. Our technology-oriented younger generation can become a reliable partner for German companies and researchers. Kazakhstan, in turn, can provide a testing ground for applied digital solutions and Industry 4.0 technologies,” the President emphasized.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also highlighted the historical links between Kazakh and German intellectual traditions, referring to the translation into Kazakh by the great Kazakh poet and thinker Abai Kunanbaiuly of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem «Wanderers Nachtlied». According to him, this translation became one of the first intellectual bridges between the two peoples.
In conclusion, the Head of State called on the heads of leading universities and research institutions of Germany and Kazakhstan to combine the potential of the two countries to implement new joint projects.
Earlier, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Germany's Federal Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, held a media briefing.