Malaysia and Kazakhstan identify six areas for higher education cooperation, including AI, nuclear science, agriculture and critical minerals
ASTANA: Malaysia and Kazakhstan have identified six potential areas for collaboration between universities in both countries as they move to deepen bilateral cooperation in higher education, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said.
He said the areas include artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear science, agriculture and critical minerals, with universities from both countries expected to identify suitable partners based on their respective strengths and expertise.
“We have identified six areas of possible collaboration between the universities. One of the areas is AI… another area which we know you have really good strength in is nuclear science, and then agriculture and critical minerals,” he said after attending the Malaysia-Central Asia Higher Education Forum 2026 (MAHEF2026) at Maqsut Narikbayev University, yesterday.
Speaking to Bernama here today, Zambry said the focus was on identifying specific areas in which both countries have comparative strengths that could be translated into research and other forms of university-to-university cooperation.
He said another key outcome was an agreement to hold an annual higher education meeting between Malaysia and Kazakhstan, with this year’s meeting held in Kazakhstan and Malaysia set to host the next edition in 2027.
The two countries also agreed to expand student and research mobility, academic exchanges and student exchange programmes as part of efforts to strengthen links between their higher education institutions.
Zambry said cooperation should not be limited to bringing Kazakh students to Malaysia, with Malaysian universities also encouraged to bring their education offerings to Kazakhstan through transnational education, dual- or double-degree programmes and other flexible models.
He said the approach reflected the growing importance of ‘education diplomacy’ in strengthening bilateral ties and building long-term connections between countries through universities, academics and future generations.
Malaysia, he said, could also share its experience in developing flexible higher education models, including Work-Based Learning (WBL), stackable programmes and multidisciplinary approaches that combine campus learning with industry exposure.
Meanwhile, Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) chief executive officer Novie Tajuddin said transnational education (TNE) would be among the areas of cooperation following the meeting, involving collaboration between universities in Malaysia and Kazakhstan in sectors such as agriculture, energy and artificial intelligence (AI).
“This is one form of diplomacy between Kazakhstan and Malaysia that will further strengthen internationalisation efforts in both countries.
“This is in line with the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint, in which internationalisation is one of the key pillars that we need to achieve and implement towards internationalisation by 2035,” he said.
Novie said EMGS would continue to work with higher education institutions in Malaysia to facilitate the implementation of the cooperation, including exploring co-funding mechanisms with the Kazakhstan government to enable more students from the country to pursue their studies in Malaysia.
Earlier, EMGS and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation, share Malaysia’s experience in higher education internationalisation and attract more international students to pursue their studies in Malaysia.
The engagement was held in conjunction with the Malaysia-Central Asia Higher Education Forum 2026 (MAHEF2026), organised by EMGS, which brings together higher education stakeholders from Malaysia and Central Asia to strengthen cooperation in areas including student mobility, transnational education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and digital skills.
Zambry is on an official visit to Kazakhstan until Sunday.
