Holding an event

On November 11, 2025 , the Final Conference of the Erasmus+ project “Development of Financial Autonomy of Universities in Kyrgyzstan (DEFA)” began at the Kyrgyz State Technical University named after I. Razzakov .

The event is being held to summarize the project's three-year work and discuss prospects for further development of the financial independence of the country's higher education institutions.

The conference is attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, the National Erasmus+ Office in Kyrgyzstan, the Association of Universities of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the project's international partners - Otto von Guericke University (OVGU, Germany), the University of Florence (UNIFI, Italy) and the CESIE Center (Italy).

Project manager and KSTU Rector Mirlan Chynybaev delivered a welcoming speech, noting that the implementation of DEFA was an important step in improving the managerial and financial sustainability of Kyrgyz universities. He emphasized that the experience gained through the project will enable the implementation of more flexible and effective university management mechanisms.

Deputy Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation of the Kyrgyz Republic Nurlan Omurov and National Coordinator of Erasmus+ in Kyrgyzstan Gulnara Isaeva also addressed the participants with congratulatory remarks, noting the project's importance for modernizing the national higher education system.

During the first day of the conference, reports on the main work packages—Management, Development, Implementation, Quality Assurance, and Dissemination—were presented, and issues of sustainability and further cooperation between partner universities were discussed.

The DEFA project brings together leading universities in Kyrgyzstan and Europe and aims to develop an effective model of financial autonomy that ensures transparency, sustainability, and quality management of higher education institutions in the country.

The conference will last until November 13, 2025.