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Due to economic and demographic changes more countries are investing in higher education and research. Uzbekistan is of particular interest because of its rapidly growing economy, large young population, and strategic location in Central Asia. The country has the largest population of the region with over 38 million inhabitants, of which more than 60% are under the age of thirty.<\/strong><\/p>\n During recent years Uzbekistan has implemented reforms promoting trade, investment, and international cooperation. The country\u2019s central position in Central Asia strengthens its role in regional trade as well as a transport corridor and link between Europe and Asia, thus also making it an interesting geopolitical intersection.<\/p>\n To support Swedish higher education institutions in developing knowledge and contacts in Central Asia, STINT now includes the American University of Technology (AUT) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as a partner university in its Teaching Sabbatical programme. This partnership extends the programme\u2019s international network and presents new opportunities for academic exchange with a rapidly developing region.<\/p>\n AUT in Tashkent is \u201cpowered by Arizona State University (ASU)\u201d, which means that education is developed in close collaboration with ASU \u2013 one of STINT\u2019s American partner universities, often ranked as the most innovative university in the USA. Through their partnership AUT gains access to international academic resources, educational models, and experience gained from ASU\u2019s global higher education efforts.<\/p>\n The inclusion of AUT in the Teaching Sabbatical programme gives Swedish lecturers and their home universities the opportunity to participate in a new, dynamic environment, while contributing their skills to the development of a new international university in Central Asia. It also provides a deeper understanding of how ASU operates internationally by establishing institutional partnerships in dynamic regions across the globe. ASU, through Cintana Education, collaborates with around thirty universities worldwide in this manner.<\/p>\n We are delighted to offer AUT as a new choice in this year\u2019s call for Teaching Sabbatical applications.<\/p>\n The other partner universities in the programme are:<\/p>\n \u2022 Arizona State University, USA
\u2022 The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
\u2022 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
\u2022 National University of Singapore, Singapore
\u2022 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
\u2022 University of Botswana, Botswana
\u2022 University of California, Berkeley, USA
\u2022 University of California Los Angeles, USA
\u2022 University of Texas at Austin, USA
\u2022 University of Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n