The Russian Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Agency for Strategic Reforms Under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed a roadmap for cooperation, which includes the Point of Attraction, a large-scale Skoltech project aimed at creating an international network of technology excellence centers. Speaking at the “Strong Ideas for New Times” forum, Vladimir Putin supported the initiative. The first center will be set up at the Inno Technopark in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

On May 3, the Inno Technopark welcomed Andrey Shket, the head of endowment at Skoltech, who authored the original idea; Svetlana Chupsheva, the ASI general director; Dmitry Peskov, the special representative of the president of Russia for digital and technological development and the head of ASI’s Young Professionals division; and Laziz Kudratov, the minister of investment, industry and trade of Uzbekistan.

“The center should become a point of attraction for students, experts, and academia. This network project will allow professionals who have confirmed their qualifications in one center to move freely between projects implemented in friendly countries,” Shket said.

The Point of Attraction will have a symbolic location at the Inno Technopark, one of the largest innovation parks in Uzbekistan, which houses multiple laboratories and innovation spaces. ASI emphasized that in Russia, large-scale educational projects, such as Sirius and Skoltech, have been successfully implemented at technology parks for years.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev also supported the project and instructed the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation to provide the required assistance for its implementation. Another such center is currently being discussed with the Kyrgyz authorities. The Point of Attraction will facilitate collaborations between students, scientists, and researchers in partner countries, while increasing the efficiency of research in the innovation domain.