How to Enhance the Global Competitiveness of Universities: TAM Seminar Held at ENU

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University hosted a two-day TAM seminar titled “International Competitiveness and Cooperation”, bringing together representatives of Kazakhstani universities and experts in higher education.

The event was organised by the National Erasmus+ Office in Kazakhstan together with the Higher Education Reform Experts (HERE), with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.

The seminar brought together 57 representatives from 34 higher education institutions across 14 cities of Kazakhstan. ENU provided a platform for university leaders, heads of structural units, researchers, and specialists working in international cooperation and strategic development to exchange views and professional experience.

The opening session featured welcoming remarks by Lyazzat Tolegenkyzy, Member of the Management Board – Vice-Rector for Social and Infrastructure Development of L.N. Gumilyov ENU; Aaro Ylitolo, First Counsellor, Head of the Political, Press and Information Section and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan; and Nauzhan Didarbekova, Acting Deputy Chair of the Committee for Higher and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The two-day programme focused on strengthening the competitiveness of Kazakhstani universities in the international education and research environment. Participants discussed tools and approaches that universities can use to enhance their international presence, develop long-term cooperation with foreign partners, and strengthen institutional visibility.

Discussions covered QS and THE international rankings, institutional performance indicators, academic and research excellence, double and joint degree programmes, English-taught programmes, and international research cooperation. Particular attention was also given to opportunities for international funding and to building sustainable partnerships with universities and research organisations abroad.

The practical sessions enabled participants to apply the approaches presented during the seminar to their own institutional contexts. Through strategic laboratories, they assessed organisational strengths and weaknesses, developed performance indicators, explored internationalisation priorities, and benchmarked their institutions against international peers.

Expert contributions were delivered by Konstantinos Petridis, Professor and Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and External Relations at the Hellenic Mediterranean University; Fatima Zhakypova, Head of the Academic Excellence and Global Competitiveness Projects Group at the Project Management Office of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Aliya Sembayeva, National Coordinator of Horizon Europe in Kazakhstan; and Eldar Tulekov, Director of the Department of Strategic Planning and Coordination of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Hosting the TAM seminar at ENU provided representatives of Kazakhstani universities with an opportunity not only to learn from international experience, but also to jointly discuss practical solutions for the internationalisation of higher education. Professional platforms of this kind contribute to stronger inter-university cooperation, exchange of expertise, and the further development of international partnerships.