The second Kazakh-German Week, Science and Education: Partnership between Kazakhstan and Germany, opened on September 23 at Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University in Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), the industrial heart of East Kazakhstan region and a key hub for the country’s mining and metallurgical sector.
A major outcome of the opening ceremony was the establishment of the Consortium for the Development of the Kazakh-German Institute of Science and Technology. The institute, launched in 2024 at East Kazakhstan Technical University, focuses on specialized training for professionals in mining and metallurgy.
The new Consortium brings together leading academic institutions from both countries, including Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, Kazakh-German University, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (Freiberg University of Mining and Technology), Ruhr University Bochum, Clausthal University of Technology, Technical University of Dortmund, and the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Its mission is to promote joint research, academic exchange, technology transfer, and applied projects across critical industrial domains such as mining, geology, rare earth metals, energy, and environmental engineering.
Key industrial players in East Kazakhstan, including Kazzinc, the Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant, and the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, are actively supporting the initiative through applied science and innovation partnerships.
In a video address, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek emphasized that German universities remain strategic partners for Kazakhstan in developing a future-ready workforce.
Officials noted that the consortium’s launch holds particular significance for East Kazakhstan, where mining and metallurgy form a cornerstone of the national industrial economy. Long-term sustainability in the sector, they said, will depend on the integration of science, innovation, and high-level technical education.
