UZBEKISTAN
This country is open to new possibilities. REI is preparing tomorrow’s leaders at a newly launched STEM university.
The Silk Road of Central Asia has always connected cultures, ideas and people. Today, that same spirit of exchange is shaping a region eager for growth and renewed global engagement. Uzbekistan, like its neighbors, stands at a pivotal moment – looking ahead with energy and openness.
REI relaunched its work in Central Asia in 2019 after a short pause, continuing more than three decades of commitment to developing local leaders. In Uzbekistan, our team is walking alongside partners to reestablish REI’s presence and support the creation of the Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT), investing in education that will shape future changemakers.
For thousands of years Samarkand has been a cultural, political, and key commercial center on the Silk Road, home to scholars, scientists, emperors, theologians, artisans, and people from all walks of life. In 1992 it also became home to REI staff and volunteers, working primarily in education.
Uzbekistan was a former Soviet republic, and after attaining independence in 1991 its first president was still imbued with many Soviet attitudes and perspectives. NGOs (non-government organizations, roughly equivalent to non-profits) were initially allowed in, then kicked out a few years later. (REI was not expelled from the country but chose to leave voluntarily at that time in 2008.)
Samarkand International University of Technology
REI has the distinct privilege of providing resources to help launch the Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT) in 2023 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The mission of SIUT is to train highly qualified, world-class engineering personnel who will serve the comprehensive development of Uzbekistan's economy, increasing their global influence and interstate cooperation in the name of peace and progress. The main goal is to train highly qualified engineering and technical personnel at international educational standards who are capable of solving the most important scientific, technological and production tasks.
