Kozybayev University cooperation with The University of Arizona: prospects for the development of the region

The Regional Communications Service held a briefing on the cooperation between Kozybayev University and the University of Arizona, as well as the prospects it opens for our region. In his speech, Chairman of the Board – Rector Yerbol Isakaev noted that the project of strategic partnership with a foreign university, launched by order of the Head of State — the first in the country in 2022 — involves, among other things, the transformation of Kozybayev NKU into a research university. This is a big task. Among the priority studies of our scientists are directions important for the North Kazakhstan region – agriculture, engineering, and IT.

“Thanks to joint research with the University of Arizona, serious steps have already been made in these directions. The project Genomics of National Treasures is being implemented. It involves the participation of the Arizona Genomics Institute (AGI) in the sequencing of biologically and strategically important Kazakhstani species. Also, a trilateral memorandum has already been signed between Kozybayev University, the University of Arizona, and the Northwest University of Agriculture and Forestry of China on the establishment of the Water Resources Consortium based at our university. A project on microbiological assessment of water, funded by the USDA (USA), is also being implemented jointly with the University of Arizona,” Rector Yerbol Isakaev said.

This month, the Kozybayev University team will visit America, where the topic of joint research with the University of Arizona will be continued. Another important step will be the signing of an agreement with the partner university on the opening of two more joint educational programmes in business and medicine.

Rod Wing, a prominent scientist in flora and fauna genomics at the University of Arizona, spoke about the joint research in this area: “The collaboration with Kozybayev University allows us to realise our great ambition to contribute to wheat genome research so that Kazakhstan becomes the world capital of wheat production. At the University of Arizona, 20 years ago we began work on sequencing the rice genome. Successes in this direction have enabled us to work with other cereal crops today. Through genomics and genetics, we can breed crops that are more stress-resistant, consume less water, and still retain all the beneficial properties for humans.”

Other speakers included Professor Andrea Zuccolo of Kozybayev University from Italy and Saule Musurova, Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Agro-Competencies.