Central Asian countries are currently experiencing an economic transition, when governments began structural and institutional reforms to stimulate growth, create trade, create jobs and improve the quality of life of their citizens.

Regional cooperation in the academic field is equally important for the peace and prosperity of the region. Support for regional academic collaboration will help:

• the best regional academic exchange;
• promote the region to uniform standards of qualification and certification;
• to compare the demand and supply of labor in the region and, thus, create better employment opportunities;
• create regional research and educational centers in specialized fields of science;
• encourage small and / or young regional universities to participate in international cooperation projects in the future.

Innovative University of Eurasia took part in the formation of expert opinion for the European Commission on the new educational grant program Erasmus +, which will function from 2021 to 2027.

Analysis of the responses to the survey leads to the following conclusions:
1. Large national and state universities advocate international cooperation, including various projects within Erasmus +. Young and regional universities cooperate mainly at the regional level, although they consider international cooperation more important for their development.
2. International cooperation offers greater potential in the field of education, while regional cooperation brings more advantages in the development of science and research, and also contributes to the achievement of the goal of social responsibility - that is, cooperation between universities, government, society and business.
3. In strategic terms, international cooperation is more important than regional cooperation for universities. International projects contribute to the integration of European education and the creation of a European knowledge belt in the Central Asian countries. It also contributes to the exchange of European experience and best practices in teaching, as well as the development of a dialogue between the academic world and the governments of the Central Asian countries in order to improve public policy. In addition, the experience of international cooperation improves the position of the university in national and international rankings. However, not all regional universities have the technology, infrastructure, and experienced administrative staff to manage an international project.
4. The following problems limit regional cooperation in Central Asia:

• differences in qualification standards for graduates in the region;
• lack of research funding;
• aging of scientific personnel;
• high centralization of power in the region;
• formalities and restrictions in academic freedom;
• state paternalism in financing higher education;
• low correlation in university research compared to business and industry needs;
• low state and industry interest in research results;
• lack of contacts between universities in the same area of specialization in the region;
• lack of experienced staff who could manage a cooperation project;
• low culture of communication (potential partners from Central Asian countries sometimes do not even respond to an invitation to cooperate);
• lack of contact information on the websites of potential regional partners (some universities do not have a functioning website, and many universities have not updated contact information for many years);
• differences in partner country legislation.

5. The following problems limit international cooperation of universities in Central Asia:

• difficulties in finding a suitable partner abroad;
• the sudden refusal of the EU partner to participate in the project after the application deadline;
• lack of information on Central Asian universities in Europe;
• the focus of international projects is more on Europe, not on partner countries;
• lack of language skills;
• lack of experience in applying and participating in international projects;
• lack of funding (finance that universities often have to provide from their own treasury);
• not all countries in Central Asia have a national office Erasmus +;
• lack of information about funding opportunities;
• not all Central Asian countries are members of the Bologna process and use the ECTS credit system;
• not all universities in the region have a special international office (sometimes international cooperation is carried out by staff who combine this function with other administrative or educational tasks)
• lack of opportunities and platforms for cooperation in the exchange of experience in remote or online formats;
• lack of technical facilities (laptops, projectors, interactive whiteboards, etc.) for effective participation in international projects;
• lack of motivation from the university administration;
• the uneven distribution of finances under the Erasmus + program among the Central Asian countries;
• the geographical distance of some universities from the main transport infrastructure (international airports);
• the urgent need to modernize teaching instruments and approaches among Central Asian universities;
• weak IT infrastructure, IT equipment and Internet coverage in certain regions of Central Asia;
• the presence of state standards in higher education in Central Asian countries, which are sometimes incompatible with European partner countries.

6. After analyzing the survey results, we would like to suggest the following:

• drawing up a list of potential consortium partners who are willing to participate in regional cooperation projects in Central Asia;
• offering offline and online seminars and webinars in Russian or in the national languages of the Central Asian countries, teaching universities how to fill out application forms for grants;
• creating communication platforms among potential partners (including WhatsApp and Telegram);
• organizing special training sessions for university administrations in Central Asian countries and explaining the disclosed potential and possible benefits from regional and international cooperation, as well as how these types of cooperation function;
• providing external funding for regional initiatives aimed at cooperation in online formats: online conferences and seminars, exchange of online courses and lectures between professors;
• providing external funding for the purchase of equipment and materials necessary for virtual communication, as well as training of university staff on how to use equipment;
• encouraging virtual mobility of students, as well as academic and administrative staff between regional universities.

Aliyassova Anasstasia,
Head of the Department of Scientific-Organizational Work and International Cooperation