On 28 October 2026, the first EU-Central Asia Innovation Forum will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as part of INNOWEEK, the International Week of Innovative Ideas. The Forum brings together researchers, innovators, companies, support organisations and public institutions from Europe and the five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – to explore new opportunities for research, innovation and business cooperation.
The Forum runs from 10:00 to 17:00 (Tashkent time).
What will be discussed
The programme covers four themes: cooperation between the EU and Central Asia in research and innovation; the innovation landscape in Central Asia, seen from a European perspective; lessons from Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 projects that already involve partners from the region; and ways to connect the European and Central Asian innovation ecosystems more closely.
Who will speak
The Forum brings together speakers from public institutions, universities, innovation agencies and companies. They include:
- Bojan Grlaš, Deputy Head of Unit International Cooperation, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
- Oral Ataniyazova, Senator, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Science, Education and Healthcare of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Sanat Zholdykhan, Chairman of the Board, National Agency for Innovation Development (Kazakhstan)
- Aliya Sembayeva, Horizon Europe National Contact Point Coordinator and First Deputy Chairperson, Science Fund JSC (Kazakhstan)
- Sagynbek Orunbaev, Associate Professor, American University of Central Asia
- Michał Banaszak, Vice-Rector for Digitization and Business Cooperation, Adam Mickiewicz University
- Francesco Maria Colacino, Head of Operations and Commercialization, University of Warwick
- Elena Andonova, Technology Transfer and Innovation Expert, former Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre
- Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Managing Director, European Neighbourhood Council
- Ksenia Savchenko, Senior Innovation Consultant, G.A.C. Group
- Liza Maria Peretti Cisera, Latin America Regional Manager, Oxentia
- Bartosz Morończyk, Application Engineer, AMAZEMETA
The discussion will be moderated by Kremena Mileva, International Relations Officer responsible for research and innovation cooperation with Central Asia at the European Commission,
Join in person or online!
The Forum is open to participants in Tashkent and online. European researchers, companies and organisations looking for partners in Central Asia, or already working with the region, can follow the sessions and take part remotely.
See the full programme here: https://innoweek.uz/en/program-detail/79
Visit the Horizon Europe stand at INNOWEEK
From 27 to 29 October, visitors can stop by the Horizon Europe stand at INNOWEEK (B3-6 on the map). The team will explain how researchers and organisations from Central Asia can join Horizon Europe projects, where to find open calls and partners, and what support is available to prepare a proposal.
Background
Horizon Europe is the EU’s main funding programme for research and innovation for 2021-2027. It is open to researchers and organisations from around the world, including Central Asia, who can join projects alongside European partners.
INNOWEEK is an annual international innovation week held in Uzbekistan. The EU-Central Asia Innovation Forum takes place during this event, on the same location.
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