Description

Universities worldwide, including those in Central Asia and Europe, are facing new tasks and challenges. In Central Asia new tasks emerge in the context of reforms currently ongoing in the countries of the region. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are pursuing ambitious reforms to modernise their economies, diversify industries and create new opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. Similar goals shape development strategies in Europe. New challenges arise from rapid changes such as AI and automation as well as shifting global markets. They also stem from the complex ‘grand challenges’ of our time, such as climate change, urbanisation and social cohesion.

In June 2025, the SPCE Hub Network, the Intersectoral School of Governance BW, and the OSCE Academy in Bishkek organised a 3.5-day workshop on transdisciplinary education and research in partnership with Technische Universität Berlin and Hochschule Karlsruhe. The workshop was financed by the German Academic Exchange Service with funds from the German Federal Foreign office.

This report aims to inform the professional community about the content and discussions of the workshop. The following two sections provide an introduction to transdisciplinary university education and research. This is followed by four project ideas developed during a workshop exercise, which demonstrate the structure and potential of transdisciplinary projects in the region. The final section presents innovative teaching projects in Central Asia, demonstrating that the concept of transdisciplinarity is already being applied.