As part of the Israel-Uzbekistan STEM^2 International Summit in Academy and Science, which is currently convening in 3 major cities in the Republic of Uzbekistan - Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand - Prof. Eduard Yakubov, President of HIT, met with Mr. Sodiq Safoev, First deputy chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan’s parliament, to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the field of education in Uzbekistan.

During their meeting, Safoev stated that modernization of the Uzbek education system and development of 'smart' universities which use innovative technologies and smart devices has become one of the top priority items on Uzbekistan's action agenda. Over the past 5 years, he pointed out, the number of universities in Uzbekistan increased from 60 to 151.

Safoev also said, "In the modern world, the most important factor for success is education. Israel's experience has proven that this is the way to prosperity. For this reason, Uzbekistan works closely with our partners from Israel in education, science and innovation. We are deeply appreciative that Rectors and Presidents of academic institutions from Israel have come to Uzbekistan to learn about our system, and we trust that these meetings will have a practical and beneficial result."

The conference is the largest gathering of Israeli academic staff outside of Israel. The prestigious delegation is led by Prof. Yakubov, who also serves as Co-chairman of the conference together with Prof. Adir Pridor, Chairman of HIT’s Executive Committee.

Prof. Eduard Yakubov referred to HIT's ties with 35 countries and more than 130 academic collaborations from around the world. He emphasized that one of HIT’s most important international focal points is Uzbekistan and Eurasian countries. "We are here to continue and deepen this cooperation," he said.

On Tuesday 6.9.22, the delegation gathered in the city of Bukhara, where local representatives met with their counterparts from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Finland to discuss new developments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and their application to tourism, education and digital medicine.

The opening session on Tuesday afternoon was held at the University of Bukhara. Dr. Obijon Hamidov, the University's Rector, commented after the event that "universities from Israel and from this region are participating in the conference in order to share knowledge about the curricula required for two degrees simultaneously, as well as additional joint programs like those we enjoy with HIT".

Dr. Hamidov expressed optimism for continuing the collaboration with higher education institutions in Israel and noted that there is a relatively large number of individuals in Israeli higher education whose roots stem from Uzbekistan.

Speaking to the participants in Bukhara, Prof. Adir Pridor, Chairman of HIT's Executive Committee and Co-chairman of the STEM^2 conference, said that decision-makers must understand the conclusions reached by scientists and technologists. "We must develop science and technology in such a way that makes it accessible and understandable to the public. Scientists should be able to explain their conclusions in language that will allow ordinary decision-makers to understand. This is a challenge that will guide our way into the next decade."

The meetings in Bukhara on Wednesday 9/7/22 focused on digital medical technologies, heritage and tourism technologies, architecture and innovative urban technologies, agricultural and water technologies, e-learning and academic leadership of women in the 21st century.

On Thursday 9/8/22 the conference will resume in Samarkand, before ending in Tashkent at the end of the week.