In January 2026, three virtual matchmaking events were held under the UDIF-HAW initiative (Networking for Research – German Universities of Applied Sciences and Researchers Worldwide), bringing together more than 100 researchers from Germany, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The digital events marked the start of the process to initiate new research collaborations.

In moderated online sessions and separate virtual rooms, participants had the opportunity to exchange expertise, establish new contacts and explore the potential for cooperation in knowledge-driven research in the natural sciences and engineering sciences. Representatives of German Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften) presented their project ideas in short pitches and answered questions, thereby highlighting concrete starting points for joint research projects. Previously, information events and individual consultations were held to give researchers the opportunity to find out about DFG funding programmes. 

A poster book published at the end of 2025 served as the basis for exchange. This presented the expertise and collaborative ideas of researchers at German HAW and from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, covering three thematic areas in the natural sciences and engineering sciences: 

• Digitisation and Smart Technologies
• Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities
• Renewable Energy and Resource Management

With more than 200 contributions from three countries, including 44 from Germany, 91 from Kazakhstan and 99 from Uzbekistan, this provides a comprehensive reference for all participants. The thematic focus of the poster book was based on a survey of German and Central Asian researchers, so it reflects the bottom-up character of the initiative: researchers receive input to help them identify suitable partners independently and initiate new collaborations.

Actively supported by Central Asian partner institutions, the initiative is further advancing the DFG’s expanding cooperation with Central Asia. As early as spring 2025, a DFG delegation visited several universities and the academies of sciences in Tashkent and Almaty to explore cooperation opportunities through discussions, and the DFG carried out further activities in autumn 2025. DFG Vice President Professor Dr. Karin Jacobs travelled to Kazakhstan for cooperation talks and went on to take part in a networking event at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Berlin later in the year. The DFG was also involved in a BMFTR delegation visit to Uzbekistan to present its funding programmes at Innoweek, Central Asia’s largest research and innovation fair, and to strengthen contacts on the ground. Following this, the DFG was able to gain an insight into the higher education and research landscape of Turkmenistan for the first time together with other German research organisations, including the DAAD. These activities provide a solid foundation for the long-term expansion of international research cooperation between researchers in Germany and partner institutions in Central Asia. 

The UDIF-HAW initiative was launched in 2022 with the aim of strengthening international academic exchange and increasing the visibility of German Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) abroad through concrete, thematically focused measures in specific countries or regions. Central Asia was selected as the regional focus for 2025, following Jordan, North America and Scotland.

Further Information

• The UDIF-HAW initiative(interner Link)
• Boosting International Research Cooperation: DFG Intensifies Its Engagement in Central Asia(interner Link)