COUNTRY PROFILE

🇺🇿Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is undergoing the most rapid science-system transformation in Central Asia, driven by a government modernization agenda that since 2019 has doubled the state science budget and opened several international branch campuses. The Academy of Sciences retains a Soviet-inherited network of specialized institutes in chemistry, physics, and geology, many of which are now being restructured under market-oriented mandates. Agriculture research is strategically important given Uzbekistan's role as a top-five global cotton and apricot exporter, with breeders targeting drought tolerance and salinity resistance. A growing number of Uzbek researchers publish in Scopus-indexed journals following incentive reforms that tie faculty promotion to indexed publications. Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent represents a novel international partnership model that has attracted engineering talent from across the region.