City University of Hong Kong (CityU) Council Chairman Mr Lester Garson Huang led a delegation of senior management to visit Kazakhstan between 28 November and 1 December. During the visit, the delegation visited Satbayev University (SU) and attended the signing of a joint agreement between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and SU to set up an Institute in SU.

Members of the CityU delegation included Professor Freddy Boey, CityU President, Professor Kevin Downing, Secretary to the Council, Professor Li Wen Jung, Vice-President (Talent and International Strategy), Professor Cheng Shuk-han, Associate Vice-President (Research), Professor Jennifer Lin Fen, Associate Vice-President (Global Strategy), Professor Yue Chee-yoon, Dean of the Graduate School, and Ms Ng Pheck-choo, Director (Office of the President).

On 30 November, an agreement was signed by President Boey and Rector Meiram Begentayev of SU. The agreement, which was witnessed by CityU Council Chairman Mr Huang and Mr Darkhan Ahmed-Zaki, Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will foster collaboration between CityU and SU.

It focuses on establishing a cooperative relationship to foster mutual benefits. To train high-end talent in Kazakhstan, the two universities will explore curriculum development, creating a specific learning model, and the feasibility of delivering dual-degree programmes by establishing the CityU Institute at SU.

The agreement also focuses on bringing talent from Kazakhstan to CityU through the "Bolashak Program", by facilitating the exchange of PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty between the two universities. Other initiatives include the joint provision of programmes, the integration of CityU’s Virtual Learning Environment, quality assurance and academic oversight.

Mr Huang thanked the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and SU for embarking on this exciting venture with CityU. “Together, we will shape the future of higher education and foster an environment of innovation, collaboration and cultural exchange,” he said.

He added that the CityU Institute at SU would become a hub for interdisciplinary fields, such as engineering and artificial intelligence. “The CityU Institute stands as a symbol of our commitment to excellence and the pursuit of knowledge,” said Mr Huang.

President Boey said that CityU was the first university from Hong Kong to commit to establishing a presence in Kazakhstan, and that CityU is confident that SU, the oldest and one of Kazakhstan’s most prestigious technical universities, is the right partner for CityU to enrich international collaboration.

“Both universities share the vision of inspiration, innovation and internationalisation, and the collaboration among two institutions is an innovative effort to cultivate and advance the experience-based learning-centric approach in higher education,” he said.

During the visit, the CityU delegation was warmly greeted and received by Rector Begentayev, along with members of the senior management team from SU. The two parties also engaged in fruitful discussions on cooperation in various fields.