On 14 April, IAIS hosted a meeting with Dr Bhavna Davé, Senior Lecturer at SOAS, University of London, and researcher at the Centre for Contemporary Central Asian and Caucasus Studies. Dr Davé is a widely recognised international expert on Eurasian geopolitics, Russia–Central Asia relations, China’s role in the region, as well as labour migration and identity politics.

Meeting was devoted to prospects for academic cooperation between IAIS/UWED and SOAS, University of London. Dr Davé presented the existing joint master’s programme with Nazarbayev University and expressed interest in expanding the geographic diversity of student participation, including through the greater involvement of students from Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states.

The sides also discussed possible formats of cooperation in the spheres of joint educational programmes, exchange semesters, academic mobility, and the future development of master’s programmes in international security, energy policy, climate studies, and regional studies. The meeting confirmed mutual interest in continuing dialogue and elaborating practical proposals for deeper academic partnership.