This year the Annual HEREs Conference "Perspectives of Higher Education Development in Uzbekistan" is organized as the International Erasmus+ conference dedicated to the 30^th anniversary of cooperation between the European Union and Uzbekistan in higher education under the Tempus (1994-2014) and Erasmus+ (2014-2024) programmes. The delegations of the HEREs and the National Erasmus+ Offices from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan will be welcomed to the conference as honourable guests and speakers.

It is expected that Kongratbay Sharipov, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and His Excellency Mr. Toivo Klaar, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan will provide welcoming speeches at the plenary session.

As one of the outputs the Conference Statement, including Set of Recommendations of HEREs to HE community for 2025 will be developed and published on the NEO website.

Conference aims to enhance the efficiency of higher education development by fostering the exchange of experiences, sharing insights on innovative methodologies, achievements, trends, and challenge, summarizing the activities of Higher Education Reform Experts (HEREs) for 2024 and promote regional cooperation.The conference includes the organization of a plenary session with presentations of National Teams of HEREs of the Central Asian countries and 3 parallel sections in the afternoon.

The panel discussion “Priorities for strengthening of regional cooperation within Erasmus+” will be organised jointly by the representatives of the National Erasmus+ Offices and HEREs of the Central Asian countries.

Within the conference, the Annual Scientific and Educational Forum “Access to scientific information and publication activity” will take place with support of HEREs and the representatives of the publication companies.

The Annual Erasmus International Credit Mobility event will be organised by HEREs and ICM beneficiaries. The proceedings of the session «ERASMUS+ INTERNATIONAL CREDIT MOBILITY: ROLE IN IMPROVING QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH» will be published and made downloadable from NEO website.

During the conference, the next No 16-2024(2) of the peer-reviewed scientific and methodological journal of Uzbekistan Higher Education Reform Experts “PERSPECTIVES OF HIGHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT” will be presented.

Organizers: Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan (MHESI), Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan, National Erasmus+ Office (NEO), National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers" (TIIAME), National Team of Erasmus+ Higher Education Reform Experts (HEREs).

Venue: "TIIAME” NRU

Participants: universities` leadership, MHESI, Erasmus+ National Offices, and HERE experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, Erasmus+ project coordinators, Tempus project participants, faculty, doctoral candidates and students.

Format: hybrid with online connection at plenary session and offline sections in the afternoon.

Main conference topics:

• Erasmus+ programme and projects in Uzbekistan. Best practices, achievements and challenges; exchange of knowledge, experience acquired within Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) and implementation of learning outcomes and scientific developments in Uzbekistan
•  Digitalization of higher education. Innovative methods and means of distance learning and access to scientific-educational information;
•  Experience of leading universities of the EU, Central Asian countries and Uzbekistan in introduction of innovations in higher education, promotion of inclusive education and inclusive culture.
•  Internationalization of higher education. Integration of Uzbek universities into the global educational space, creation of double degree programs, strategies for expanding international mobility, interaction with global academic institutions.
• University rankings. Scientometric analysis, publication activity, quality of scientific research, the third mission of universities is the contribution of universities to the Sustainable Development Goals and their impact on rankings.
•  Development of the Bologna Process. Impact on innovative approaches in higher education; promotion of the Bologna principles in bilateral mobility and strengthening the internationalization of the higher education system.
•  Credit system. Assessment of the implementation of the credit system in universities of Uzbekistan, overcoming adaptation difficulties, impact on the modernization of the educational process, comparison with European standards for harmonization with international systems;
•  Novelties within new 2025 Erasmus Call + for Proposals; regional priorities and the priorities of Global Gateway
•  Strengthening of regional cooperation within Erasmus+