INFORMATION about the activities of the Department of International Cooperation
History of the Department. The Department of International Relations of Bukhara State University was established in 1992. After our country gained independence, the development of cooperation with leading foreign scientific institutions in the field of higher education, the exchange of students, professors, teachers and researchers, and the expansion of acquaintance with modern research in the field of science were formed as a separate priority area.
The organization and effective operation of the Department of International Relations at Bukhara State University are closely connected with the names of the then rector of the university, academician K.M. Mukimov and associate professor Z.B. Toshov. It was through their efforts that the first steps were taken to develop the university's international cooperation. In the first years after the establishment of the department, within the framework of agreements with foreign universities and various scholarship competitions, educational and research trips of students and professors to Germany, France, Turkey, the USA and many other countries were organized.
Since 1994, Bukhara State University has been one of the first higher educational institutions of our republic to implement projects based on the European Union's Tempus program. The first of these projects was aimed at improving the curricula of subjects taught at the Faculty of Economics and improving the qualifications of professors and teachers. This project, headed by prof. B.N. Navrozzoda, went down in history as one of the first Tempus projects in our republic and university. The positive results achieved within the project were an impetus for the successful implementation of subsequent projects.
Over the years, the geography of universities and scientific centers cooperating with BukhSU has expanded, and mutually beneficial relations have been established with universities in Germany, France, the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Slovakia, Poland, Japan, the Czech Republic, India, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, embassies operating in our country, international organizations and foundations (DAAD, British Council, German Society for Technical Cooperation, Toshiba Foundation, various scientific research centers, libraries, etc.).
In 2000, the "Center for Egyptian Culture and Arabic Language" was established in cooperation with the Egyptian Embassy, the "Center for Italian Language and Culture" in cooperation with the Italian Embassy, the "Extension Service" educational and consulting center under the Faculty of Agriculture in cooperation with the University of Maryland in the USA, the "Extension Service" educational and consulting center in cooperation with the University of Paris Sud XI in France in 2003, the "Center for Korean Language and Information Technologies" in cooperation with the Korean International Cooperation Agency KOICA in 2004, the "Persian Language Center" with the assistance of the Iranian Embassy in 2005, the Bukhara branch of the Uzbek-Japanese Human Resources Development Center in 2007, and since 2011, Spanish language teaching has been established in cooperation with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to mastering foreign languages, students who have studied in these centers are successfully working in various aspects of the socio-economic life of our republic.
The established cooperation centers, established ties with international organizations have strengthened cooperation in the field of education and culture. For example, a small troupe, organized at the time under the leadership of Massimo Toscani at the Center for "Italian Language and Culture", toured all Central Asian countries with its performances, a number of works by Italian writers were translated from Italian into Uzbek for the first time in our republic. Several students who studied Spanish contributed to increasing the flow of Spanish tourists to our country.
Since the 2010s, the university's international relations have risen to a new level of quality. This can be seen, first of all, in the implementation of cooperation and exchange programs aimed at improving the quality of education, improving the professional qualifications of the teaching staff and scientific research potential.
Extensive work has been carried out within the framework of the Tempus program projects of the European Commission. The university has implemented 14 of these projects, and the university occupies one of the leading places in our republic in this indicator. Within the framework of the fourth stage of this program (2007-2013), 9 projects have been implemented, and BukhSU occupies 1st place among the higher education institutions of Uzbekistan in this indicator.
Certain achievements have also been achieved within the framework of the Erasmus Mundus academic exchange program. According to the data published by the European Commission on this program in 2014 and provided on the participation of higher education institutions in the program, BukhSU ranked 1st in Uzbekistan, 2nd in Central Asia, and 10th-12th in the world with 9 projects. Under these projects, academic exchanges of students, postgraduates, researchers, and professors were established with leading universities in the European Union, and more than 50 representatives of BukhSU became scholarship holders.
According to the results of the Erasmus+ program competitions, which came into force in 2015, 4 new projects aimed at improving higher education and 7 projects on academic exchange with the participation of representatives of BukhSU were successful, and the university once again took the highest place in our republic. 1 new project was also won in the competition for projects related to youth policy of the Erasmus+ program, which was the first international project of this type implemented in our country. As of 2018, BukhSU had established relations with about 30 foreign universities, research centers, and academies of sciences.
In 2023, the International Relations Department was reorganized as the Department of International Cooperation of BukhSU.
The following served as heads of the International Department: Z.B. Toshov (1992-1997), A. Nurov (1997-1999), N. Sayfullaev (2000-2002), B. Mamajonov (2003), M.A. Oripov (2003-2005), Z.B. Toshov (2006-2007), A.T. Juraev (2007-2012), S.S. Kurbonov (2012-2014), A.T. Juraev (2014-2017), Sh. Sh. Sharopov (2017-2018), M.H. Kilichov (2018-2024). Since March 6, 2025, Sh.Kh. Sharofiddinov has been working as the Head of the International Cooperation Department.
The main tasks of the department are as follows:
• Establishing, developing and strengthening cooperation with foreign educational institutions and scientific centers;
• Assisting in the study of positive achievements in the field of science and technology in foreign educational institutions;
• Supporting the participation of students, researchers and professors of Bukhara State University in international scientific activities;
• Ensuring the participation of university representatives in international projects;
• Organizing advanced training and internships for university professors and teachers in foreign universities and organizations included in international ratings;
• Attracting leading foreign specialists and experts from higher educational institutions included in the TOP-1000 ratings to the educational process;
• Organizing visa and registration processes for foreign students and teachers related to their studies and work at the university;
• Implementation of measures aimed at attracting foreign grants and investments and increasing the export of education;
• Assistance in the organizational processes of activities aimed at including Bukhara State University in the international TOP-1000 rankings.
The university has also achieved certain successes in the study and teaching of foreign languages, relying on international cooperation. BukhSU, in collaboration with the British Council, is participating in a project to create model student groups based on teaching English with the latest curricula. External experts invited to familiarize themselves with and assess the state of the work being done recognized BukhSU as one of the leaders among 18 universities participating in this project. Currently, about 15 courses are taught in English at the university. Particular attention is paid to inter-university cooperation. Cooperation agreements have been signed between BukhSU and many higher education and research institutions around the world. For example, within the framework of an agreement between the Department of Tourism and the Department of Tourism of the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain, joint scientific work is being carried out in various areas of tourism. The department has received electronic copies of more than 100 educational and methodological literature in the field of tourism and hospitality, which are being used in the educational process. Also, the Faculty of Foreign Languages, with the support of the German Embassy in Uzbekistan and the KNAUF company, has prepared an Uzbek-German dictionary. This dictionary contains more than 80 thousand terms, making it one of the most significant dictionaries created in our country in this field. Such initiatives are also being implemented in other departments of the university.
Department activities in numbers:
During the years of independence, many foreign students studied at Bukhara State University (26 students are studying in the 1st quarter of 2025), foreign professors and teachers taught students (16 foreign teachers are working in the 1st quarter of 2025), and many foreign delegations visited. Many foreign trips of professors and teachers, graduate students, students, and researchers were organized (31 foreign trips in the 1st quarter of 2025). University professors and teachers and students actively participate in the organizational work of international events held in the republic and our region, such as the traditional "Silk and Spice Festival", "International Pilgrimage Forum" and other events. It is worth noting that the experience gained and improved professional skills improved within the framework of international cooperation are being successfully introduced into the educational process. Many educational and methodological literature has been prepared by professors and teachers who have received advanced training at foreign universities, and work is ongoing to use best practices in teaching and ensuring quality in education.
The achievement of these results is based on the conditions created by our President, the support of the university leadership for international cooperation, and the efforts of professors, teachers, researchers, and students to promote the name of Bukhara State University internationally through their achievements.
