Two Higher Education Institutions in Uzbekistan have launched a new project “Open Food Innovation University” (OFINU) funded by the EU Erasmus+ CBHE programme

From February 1, 2024, with the Samarkand Institute of Agricultural Innovations and Research, 2 HEIs from EU countries, 3 HEIs from Tajikistan, 2 HEIs from Uzbekistan, "Open Food Innovation University" funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union ) started implementing the "OFINU" project.

The goal of the project is to develop and introduce a new form of education in Central Asian universities in the field of food processing technology, in which external students participate together with full-time students. In the implementation of this project, the legal basis for a new form of education will be created and strengthened. New curricula and modules for the field of education will be developed, and professors and teachers of partner HEIs will be sent for internships abroad. Also, the material and technical base necessary for training will be developed.

In this form of education, external students, together with full-time students, participate in certain modules, after completing the courses, they accumulate credits for each module, and at the end of their studies, it is possible to receive a diploma. This approach makes it possible to further increase competitiveness and employment potential in the labor market in the future for those who have entered the labor market.

Five food processing enterprises and one business association play important roles in the implementation of the project. They participate in the development and approval processes of new science programs. Also, partners will be given opportunities to involve their employees in the project as a pilot project.
In this place, the first meeting of the project was held online on February 8 of this year. The meeting was led by Irina Kulitane, chief coordinator from the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies. During the meeting, specific deadlines for the implementation of the work packages of the project were determined and the distribution of tasks to be performed in each work package was agreed upon.

Project partner organizations:

• Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Latvia
• Samarkand Institute of Agricultural Innovations and Research, Uzbekistan
• Andijan Institute of Agriculture and Agrotechnologies, Uzbekistan
• Tajikistan University of Technology, Tajikistan
• Kulob Institute of Technology and Innovation Management, Tajikistan
• Tajikistan University of Technology Isfara Branch, Tajikistan
• Slovak University of Agriculture, Slovakia