Kazakhstan–Belgium Rectors' Forum at Alem.ai: universities sign cooperation agreements

On 13 October, the Alem.ai International Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Astana hosted a Rectors' Forum of Kazakh and Belgian universities, attended by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, the Akorda press service reports.

Participants discussed how artificial intelligence is changing higher education and research, the role Kazakhstan could play as a regional hub between Europe and Asia, and how to deepen cooperation between universities of the two countries — joint education and research projects, academic mobility and the digital transformation of higher education.

Following the forum, universities from Kazakhstan and Belgium signed a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda, Akorda reported. One example: Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University signed an agreement with Belgium's KU Leuven and its SIM² laboratory, which researches critical materials — the parties agreed to set up a joint centre in this field, the university's rector, Saule Rakhmetullina, told the Kazakh broadcaster 24KZ. In the same interview, University of Mons rector Laurent Lefebvre noted Belgian interest in social sciences and engineering faculties.

The forum took place on the same day as the 4th session of the Kazakhstan-Belgium Business Council. The day before, during talks at the Akorda, King Philippe had said the delegation was particularly interested in artificial intelligence — exactly the subject discussed at the forum.

Why this matters for Chamber members. The Rectors' Forum shows that Kazakhstan-Belgium cooperation in education and science is moving from ceremonial visits to concrete projects — joint laboratories and research centres. For BeNeLux businesses, this signals a growing pool of Kazakh specialists trained in partnership with Belgian universities; for Kazakh universities and research centres, it means a direct channel to Belgium's leading technical schools.

Photo: Press Office of the President of Kazakhstan, Akorda.kz.