From September 2 to 5, 2026, a delegation from Astana
International University (AIU), comprising President S.A. Irsaliyev and Adviser
to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board A.K. Baiturin, took part in the
international education forum “The Connected Campus: Technology, Partnership
& Cross-Border Learning.”
As part of the forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was
signed with InUni Global, an international company and part of the Global
University Systems (GUS) group, which organized the event. The agreement
opens up new opportunities for developing strategic educational partnerships,
student recruitment, and the internationalization of AIU.
During the forum, S.A. Irsaliyev delivered a presentation
on Kazakhstan’s effective experience in establishing an international higher
education hub in the Eurasian space. He also shared AIU’s successful experience
in establishing a branch of the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU)
on the university’s campus and invited international colleagues to engage in
active cooperation.
During the visit, substantive negotiations were held on
expanding AIU’s infrastructure and partnership network.
At a meeting with Marina Sunehag, Managing Director of
InUni Global, the parties discussed the idea of establishing an international
multicampus at AIU that would bring together universities from the GUS partner
network. The partners are expected to submit official proposals in the near
future.
Cyndi McLeod, CEO of GUS Canada, proposed exploring the
possibility of establishing a University Canada West (UCW) campus at AIU. If
successfully implemented, the project would become the first campus of a
Canadian university in Kazakhstan.
During negotiations with the leadership of City
University of New York, Florida Memorial University, The University of Law, and
Teesside University, agreements were reached to begin work on launching joint
educational programs.
An agreement was also reached with Abishek Sinha,
Vice-Rector of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (India), on
developing academic exchange programs for students.
Christina Jayne, Vice President of Teesside University,
invited the AIU delegation to participate in the international conference
“Future Facing Learning and AI in Higher Education,” which will be held from
October 7 to 9 in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom.
An important step toward strengthening the university’s
international position was a meeting with Clare Overmann, CEO of the
Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA).
Clare Overmann invited AIU to become a member of AIEA.
Membership in this prestigious international association, which brings together
more than 700 higher education leaders from 25 countries, will allow AIU to
expand its network of institutional contacts worldwide, gain access to
exclusive professional resources and events, and organize international
thematic forums.
The AIU delegation’s working visit to London demonstrated
the strong interest of the international education community in the
university’s initiatives and laid the foundation for new large-scale projects.