Joint Research and Talent Development at the Core of Dialogue between Kazakhstan and the University of Antwerp

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium Roman Vassilenko met with the Rector of the University of Antwerp (UAntwerp), Herwig Leirs, and Vice-Rector Nathalie Dens. The parties discussed the current state and prospects for expanding cooperation in higher education, science, and innovation.

Ambassador noted that Kazakhstan is consistently strengthening its role as one of the key educational and scientific hubs of the Eurasian region. The country is actively developing international university partnerships, opening branches of foreign universities, and implementing joint educational programmes and research projects. This fosters an open academic environment and expands opportunities for the exchange of knowledge, technology, and human capital.

Special attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s ongoing modernization agenda. The Ambassador emphasized that comprehensive reforms are being implemented to improve public administration, strengthen legal institutions, and create conditions for sustainable socio-economic development. An important milestone in this process will be the nationwide referendum scheduled for 15 March 2026, at which citizens will decide on a draft of the new Constitution aimed at further strengthening the rule of law and expanding public participation in decision-making.

The development of applied science, technology, and knowledge transfer is among Kazakhstan’s priorities, opening additional opportunities for cooperation with European research centres.

Currently, 11 students from Kazakhstan are studying at the University of Antwerp, while five Kazakh researchers – PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows – are conducting research there. An another area of cooperation is the joint double-degree MBA programme between Almaty Management University and Antwerp Management School, involving eight master’s students.

The interlocutors expressed interest in further expanding cooperation, including the development of academic mobility, the launch of new double-degree programmes, and joint courses in transport and logistics using the potential of UAntwerp’s Centre for Maritime & Air Transport Management (C-MAT). They also discussed prospects for the University of Antwerp’s participation in academic events within the framework of upcoming bilateral visits, seen as an additional impetus for strengthening inter-university and scientific ties.

Following the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their mutual readiness to deepen long-term partnership aimed at advancing science, innovation, and the training of highly qualified professionals.

The University of Antwerp is one of Belgium’s dynamically developing research universities, with strong positions in the humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and applied research, as well as a broad international partnership network.

A solid foundation of cooperation has been established between Kazakhstan and the University of Antwerp. Three joint research projects have been implemented in mathematics, computer science, biology, and epidemiology in cooperation with the Kazakh-British Technical University and the M. Aikimbayev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases. Long-term scientific collaboration was carried out within the framework of a plague monitoring programme led by Professor H. Leirs.

Additional potential for bilateral cooperation lies in the University of Antwerp’s Centre for Maritime & Air Transport Management (C-MAT), operating within the Faculty of Business and Economics. The Centre specializes in education and applied research in international logistics, maritime and air transport, port management, multimodal transport, sustainable (“green”) logistics solutions, and the digitalization of transport systems.