National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek

A dual degree international master’s program in “Applied Geoinformatics” has been launched between the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek and the University of Salzburg, Austria.

It is worth noting that cooperation agreements to establish a joint educational program with this university were initiated back in 2019. After successfully implementing five stages of collaboration — student exchange, doctoral and teaching staff mobility, participation in Erasmus programs, joint international conferences, and the establishment of the “E-learning Center DSinGIS: Doctoral Studies in Geoinformation Sciences” in 2020 — this cooperation has now culminated in a dual degree agreement.

This partnership is the result of many years of fruitful collaboration between the two leading universities. Today, a signing ceremony was held for the official document of the dual degree program in the “1+1” master’s format in Applied Geoinformatics with the University of Salzburg.

The Rector of the University of Salzburg, Doctor of Geological Sciences Dr. Bernhard Fügenschuh, highly appreciated the 7-year collaboration between the two universities, which includes participation in international scientific and educational platforms, Erasmus+ and other international projects, faculty exchange, experience sharing, and consistent participation in international conferences and forums in geoinformatics and related fields.

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The University of Salzburg (Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg), in turn, is recognized as a leading university in the world thanks to the innovative research activities of its Z_GIS Centre for Geoinformatics.

Founded in 1622, the university ranks between 601–610 in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, 601–800 in the Times Higher Education rankings, and holds 372nd place in the QS Sustainability Rankings.

During the visit, the delegation of the National University of Uzbekistan became acquainted with the educational and research laboratories of the Z_GIS geoinformatics department at the University of Salzburg.

iDEAS:lab is an interactive educational laboratory at the University of Salzburg focused on conducting innovative scientific research in science, technology, and education. It integrates real and virtual worlds to develop future-oriented projects based on digital earth technologies, artificial intelligence, and various digitization capabilities.

Within the framework of the partnership, it was positively agreed to implement Erasmus projects enabling students, master’s students, and doctoral candidates to participate in scientific internships. As a gesture of appreciation for the long-standing collaboration, the leadership of the University of Salzburg awarded the Vice-Rector for International Relations, Raima Shirinova, a certificate of membership in the Austrian Academic Network. Based on this document, professors of the university will be able to implement scientific research projects via a multi-functional cooperation platform.

Moreover, the two universities discussed joint project proposals submitted to the Austrian Academy of Sciences, including “Geospatial Sharing Platform for Central Asia” and “Tien Shan Tourism Development: Statistics, Directions and Problems.” These projects were highly evaluated by experts and recommended for funding.

At the end of the meeting, both universities agreed to develop a strategic roadmap to elevate their cooperation to a new stage and to conduct periodic online monitoring meetings within the agreed timeframe.