Bishkek, May 22, 2026. /Kabar/. Kyrgyzstan transitions from the old, conservative science governance model to dynamic and modern system. Gulzat Isamatova, Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation of Kyrgyzstan spoke at the 10th meeting of the heads of ministries and agencies of the SCO member states on science and technology.
According to her, it has become clear that deep structural modernization is necessary to move forward, meeting the challenges of the time and the demands of the real sector of the economy. The minister supported her speech with concrete facts, highlighting three key areas:
First, this is the autonomy of higher education institutions." To date, 11 leading universities in the country have received "special status." They are currently collaborating directly with businesses and flexibly adapting their educational programs to the changing demands of the labor market.
"Secondly, the state is currently making targeted investments. Just recently, in May 2026, the state allocated $19.5 million to five leading universities in the country for the development of science and innovation. These targeted grants are provided under special conditions (for a period of 50 years with a 10-year grace period) and are aimed specifically at the commercialization of science, applied research, and the creation of high-tech innovation infrastructure. As you can see, today we are investing in specific development areas," the minister emphasized.
And thirdly, as the minister noted, is digital transparency.
"We are actively implementing the Kyrgyz Science Citation Index (KSCI). "This is a national digital platform that will completely rid our scientific community of plagiarism, protect the academic reputation of researchers, and integrate their work into global databases. As a result of this work, six of our leading universities have already been included in the prestigious international QS Asia University Rankings," she concluded.