Kazakh and Chinese universities partner on clean energy, innovation research
The event also featured a roundtable discussion on clean energy and sustainable development.
The signing ceremony was attended by HKUST(GZ) President Professor Lionel Ni, Nazarbayev University President Professor Waqar Ahmad, Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Guangzhou, Valikhan Sarsembekov, as well as faculty members and research teams from both universities.
During the signing ceremony, Professor Lionel Ni emphasised that the agreement would help move from general understandings to the practical implementation of joint projects. He highlighted the importance of empowering research teams and providing seed funding to launch initial research projects in energy storage, AI-powered energy systems management, green hydrogen and advanced materials.
In turn, Professor Waqar Ahmad stressed that international and interdisciplinary cooperation strengthens scientific research and enables the joint addressing of common regional challenges, including energy and water resource management. He also underlined the importance of investing in human capital, advancing Asian universities and orienting scientific research towards addressing practical regional development challenges.
In his remarks, Consul General Valikhan Sarsembekov noted that signing the agreement represents an important contribution to developing academic and scientific ties between Kazakhstan and China.
Particular attention was paid to the State-of-the-Nation Address of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, titled "Kazakhstan’s Current Priorities in a New Historical Cycle." The Consul General noted that the Head of State identified knowledge, science and innovation as the key drivers of the modern era and outlined the objective of building a strong economy based on advanced technologies, scientific research and high-quality engineering education.
He further emphasised that cooperation between HKUST(GZ) and Nazarbayev University aligns with Kazakhstan’s priorities in developing science, engineering and artificial intelligence, training highly qualified professionals and modernizing the energy sector.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that three Kazakh universities hit the top 100 in QS Asia Rankings 2027.
