Samarkand, Namangan and Termez to become science hubs

As Uzbekistan undergoes a deep modernization of its science system, the Academy of Sciences Fund will start operating on January 1, 2026. The decree signed by the country’s president aims to create a stable financial backbone for local research and is seen as a shift to a new model of science governance. This was reported by upl.uzreports.

The plan calls for measurable outcomes: the fund’s mechanisms should help triple the number of innovative developments and the revenue generated from them. Staffing is also emphasized — the share of young scientists in research institutes is expected to reach 60%, and conditions are to be created to encourage members of the scientific diaspora working abroad to return.

Major changes are also planned in structure and infrastructure: the Center for Advanced Technologies and the International Center for Molecular Allergology will be transferred under the Academy’s authority. To ensure balanced development of scientific capacity across regions, new Academy branches will open in Namangan, Samarkand and Termez.

Tashkent will strengthen its role as a scientific hub in Central Asia — a regional office of the International Science Council is planned to be established there. The goal is to expand scientific cooperation and bring regional initiatives together on a single platform.

There are updates in the humanities as well: the National Archaeology Center will be transformed into an Institute of Anthropology. The document also sets tasks to turn the link between science and industry into a closed cycle “from laboratory to production,” provide sustainable funding for young specialists, and reduce bureaucratic barriers in grant distribution.

It is worth noting that the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, founded in 1943, is considered one of the oldest and largest scientific institutions in Central Asia. During World War II, the evacuation of many leading Soviet scientists to Tashkent served as a strong foundation for local schools of physics, mathematics and Oriental studies.

Dilfuza Razzoqova

Editor of «ZAMIN.UZ»