For some time now, the DFG has been committed to strengthening academic relations between Germany and Central Asia. This reflects both the growing research potential of the region and its relevance in terms of addressing global research questions. In the past year alone, the DFG has carried out numerous activities in Central Asia and undertaken several visits to the region. This engagement is now being supported on the ground in Almaty by a DFG Liaison Scientist, Dr. Peter Liebelt of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Head of the Central Asia Sustainable Innovation Bureau. Here he talks about the opportunities associated with his new role.

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DFG: Dr. Liebelt, we’re delighted to welcome you as a DFG Liaison Scientist for Central Asia. You’ve been active in the region for several years now and are deeply involved in expanding academic cooperation between Germany and the Central Asian countries. Why is Central Asia of interest to German research, and why do you consider it important for the DFG to engage in the region?

Peter Liebelt: Let me begin by expressing my sincere thanks for the trust the DFG has placed in me and its interest in collaboration. I’m very pleased to be able to support the DFG in Central Asia. Over recent years, a relationship of trust has developed with the DFG working on Central Asia, and this will now be further enhanced through my role as a Liaison Scientist.

Comprising the five countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, the Central Asian region offers German researchers unique opportunities:

With its great diversity of natural environments, ranging from semi-deserts and steppe landscapes to high mountain regions, combined with current global challenges such as extreme weather events in the context of climate change, as well as profound social and economic transformation processes, Central Asia is a particularly suitable study area for a wide range of research questions within the current international sustainability and transformation debate. At the same time, looking to the past often helps us understand present-day processes. With civilisational roots dating back to the Bronze Age, Central Asia is also an important region for archaeology, with numerous excavations continuing to yield spectacular new discoveries.

In addition to these thematic points of contact, universities and research institutes in the region are currently undergoing dynamic development and are showing considerable interest in international cooperation. All these factors make Central Asia increasingly attractive to the German research community.

DFG: And how did you end up going to Kazakhstan yourself? 

Peter Liebelt: I’ve been fascinated by the entire post-Soviet space for many years – at a personal level, but above all professionally. The region was not easily accessible for many people, however, and this is probably still the case. I wanted to help change that. So in 2018 I moved to Almaty in order to actively support research cooperation between Germany and the Central Asian countries (and Mongolia) on the ground. Here, I head the foreign representative office of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Kazakhstan as well as the Central Asia Sustainable Innovation Bureau (CASIB), a contact office funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). I previously worked for MLU on various research projects funded by the DFG, the BMFTR and the Volkswagen Foundation, focusing on post-Soviet agricultural land-use change and its impact on soil degradation processes in Russia. During this time, I gained extensive experience in intercultural cooperation, and this proved very helpful when establishing both the MLU representative office in Kazakhstan and CASIB. The research landscape in the region has developed very positively in recent years. The expansion of research capacities at universities, particularly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is now leading to a noticeable increase in research quality and opening up new opportunities for cooperation. Together with the EU–Central Asia Strategy and other strategic policy frameworks, the strategic regional partnership concluded in 2023 between Germany and the Central Asian states has created a solid basis for further deepening research cooperation with the region. Since 2018, our office has supported numerous research projects led by German institutions in Central Asia, including 15 projects funded by the BMFTR under the CLIENT II funding measure “International Partnerships for Sustainable Innovations” within the BMFTR’s FONA initiative. The impressive performance of the Central Asian countries in the global competition under CLIENT II came as a positive surprise, demonstrating once again the considerable and often underestimated research potential the region has to offer. These projects focused on identifying new approaches for the sustainable use of natural resources. In addition to research cooperation, the MLU representative office supports numerous partnerships between institutes and higher education institutions. These partnerships form the foundation for further research activities by promoting early career researchers. Particularly noteworthy in this context are MLU’s collaborations in association with the “Centre for German Law” at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana, with the Turkmen National Institute of World Languages “Azadi” in Ashgabat, and also with Urgench State University in Uzbekistan on geo-ecological issues.

DFG: These are excellent examples of highly productive work. We’ve already seen how well established you are locally as Head of CASIB. Could you tell us a little more about the tasks and objectives of the bureau? 

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Peter Liebelt: Consisting of my two colleagues Assiya Sagymbay and Raushan Amanzholova and myself, the bureau was established in 2018 with funding from the BMFTR (then the BMBF) to intensify academic and research cooperation between German and Central Asian partners. Our primary focus is on building and expanding sustainable international knowledge and innovation networks, and on improving access to research resources and networks in the region. This helps increase the visibility of German research excellence and strengthen the international competitiveness of German research.

To this end, we organise regular regional conferences and participate in trade fairs and similar events.

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Another important task is to keep the BMFTR informed about current developments in the Central Asian research landscape. For this purpose, we maintain close dialogue with funding bodies, intermediary organisations and universities in Central Asia, and we also support the preparation and implementation of delegation visits undertaken by German funding organisations.

DFG: How do you specifically intend to support the DFG’s activities on the ground in your role as Liaison Scientist? And what is it that motivates you to take on this responsibility?

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Peter Liebelt: Since CASIB represents the German research landscape in Central Asia as a whole, supporting the DFG locally has already been part of our remit. We‘ve been working successfully for some time with the DFG’s regional representatives, particularly in terms of raising awareness of the DFG and the funding opportunities it offers in the region. Now that our cooperation has been formalised in this newly concluded agreement, my role as Liaison Scientist allows me to speak officially on behalf of the DFG in the region. That’s both a great responsibility and a great source of motivation for my work. My aim is to strengthen the DFG’s institutional presence by making our established networks available and facilitating contacts. From the researchers’ perspective, I see significant potential in providing advisory services to support the initiation of new research collaborations. I also very much welcome the opportunity to collaborate more closely during delegation visits and on-site activities, contributing my regional expertise to support the DFG. I greatly look forward to our continued cooperation and I’m confident we’ll be able to do a lot to help tap into the existing potential for cooperation with the region.

DFG: This support is indeed extremely valuable, as we’ve seen in the past. Are there plans for the coming months? And if you were able to express a wish for the future, what would your vision be?

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Peter Liebelt: Well, the new year is getting off to a great start with a real highlight: DFG Vice President Karin Jacobs will be visiting Uzbekistan. Plans include a working meeting with researchers from Germany and Central Asia at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, chaired by DFG Senate member Professor Dr. Georg Guggenberger and focusing on “One Health” in agro-ecosystems. The aim is to prepare future cooperation formats. There’ll also be an important matchmaking event bringing together German, Kazakh and Uzbek researchers under the UDIF-HAW initiative.

And I’m pleased that my new role will mean the DFG will be closely involved in an event organised by MLU at the Leopoldina in February 2026, with funding from the BMFTR. As the first ever German Higher Education and Science Forum – Central Asia (DWHZ), it will seek to improve networking among German stakeholders with an interest in Central Asia and provide information on cooperation opportunities.

Our vision is to integrate Central Asia more closely into the international research landscape and raise greater awareness within the wider research community of this fascinating research region with its highly committed, open-minded and curious researchers. The trust placed in us by the DFG is a key prerequisite here. Through a range of formats, we have the opportunity to further strengthen exchange between German and Central Asian researchers and bring potential research partners together, ultimately promoting joint research of the highest quality.

DFG: This is the approach we look forward to pursuing with you, Dr. Liebelt, on the ground in Central Asia. We’re confident that, with your support, we’ll be well placed to respond appropriately to the needs of the research community. Thank you very much for this interview.