The Annual International Conference of the Erasmus+ Higher Education Reform Experts Team and Annual Scientific and Educational Forum Concluded Successfully!

On 27–28 November, SARBON University hosted the annual Erasmus+ International Conference on Higher Education Reform and the 9th Forum on “Scientific Information and Publishing Activities.”

1. “Prospects for Higher Education Development” – Annual International Conference (27 November)

The conference, organized by the National Team of Erasmus+ Higher Education Reform Experts (HERE) in Uzbekistan, focused on enhancing the effectiveness of higher education through experience sharing, discussion of best practices, achievements, trends, and challenges. It also summarized the 2025 activities of HERE experts and aimed to promote regional cooperation.

Within the conference, a traditional scientific and educational forum on “Introduction to Scientific Information and Publishing Activities” was held with the support of HERE and representatives of various academic publishers.

Participants:

• Plenary session: Representatives from OTFIV, university leaders (rectors and vice-rectors), the National Library of Uzbekistan, academic libraries, Erasmus+ National Offices, and HERE teams from all Central Asian countries.

• Parallel sessions: Project coordinators, professors, doctoral students, students, European and local coordinators of Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects, representatives of HEIs new to Erasmus+ projects, and leading specialists in information and library services.

Conference and Forum objectives: Exchange of experiences, discussion of innovative methods, global scientific and educational resources, trends, and challenges to enhance the effectiveness of higher education, as well as to promote publishing activities and scientific research.

Main conference topics:

• Digitalization of higher education, advanced methods and tools for distance learning and scientific-educational information use.

• Experiences of EU, Central Asian, and leading Uzbek universities in introducing innovative higher education methods.

• Key tasks and solutions for graduate employment.

• Erasmus+ programs and projects in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, with analysis of best practices, achievements, and challenges.

• Knowledge, experience sharing, and implementation of educational outcomes and scientific developments in Uzbekistan during the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility period.

• Development of the Bologna Process in Uzbekistan, its impact on innovative approaches in higher education, promotion of Bologna principles in bilateral mobility, and strengthening the internationalization of higher education.

Representatives from higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as participants from different regions of Uzbekistan, attended the conference and forum.

Additionally, Leila Benabdallah, President of the OCEANs Network supporting Alumni of Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) participants, shared information with students on opportunities under the Erasmus+ Mobility programme

During the roundtable discussion “Prospects for Cooperation Between Central Asian and European Universities – Erasmus+ Joint Projects 2026: Plans and Opportunities,” representatives of higher education institutions from Central Asian countries engaged in mutual dialogue.

2. Annual Scientific and Educational Forum "Access To Scientific Information And Publication Activity"  (28 November)

The forum, held annually since 2016, is organized by the National Library of Uzbekistan with support from relevant ministries and ElinePress. The opening ceremony was attended by Umida Teshabayeva, Director of the National Library of Uzbekistan, who promotes access to electronic scientific and educational resources for national libraries and universities.

Leading international publishers and companies, including EBSCO, Wiley, and Oxford University Press, participated as coordinators.

• Wiley, established in 1807, is one of the largest academic publishers, specializing in print and electronic publications and multi-disciplinary databases. All full-text resources are available on the Wiley Online Library platform.

• Oxford University Press, the publishing arm of Oxford University since 1478, publishes books, reference works, and over 375 reputable journals. The reliability of its journals is confirmed by high impact factors in Journal Citation Reports (WOS).

• Eco-Vector (Russia) publishes scientific journals and books, promotes journals in international bibliometric databases, conducts SciCraft scientific events, and offers online training, courses, and webinars for researchers.

• Puls of Science provides scientometric and research support services to students, doctoral candidates, faculty, and researchers.

• Lan’, a leading Russian publisher, specializes in mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, veterinary and animal sciences, agriculture, forestry and forest engineering, medicine, economics, humanities, and IT, with eight specialized editorial divisions.

Forum outcomes:

• Leaders from ministries, agencies, universities, and research centers learned effective ways to organize innovative and scientific activities and improve the ranking of universities and research centers according to national and international standards.

• Teachers, researchers, and doctoral students learned about new electronic scientific and educational resources, publishing in reputable journals (IEEE, Wiley, Oxford University Press, etc.), and preparing high-quality dissertations.

• Publishers and library staff explored the diversity of electronic resources, management methods, scientometric tools, user support, training organization, provision of library services to academic institutions, and new technological solutions for storing and using scientific information.