Three memoranda of cooperation were signed at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) during the International Symposium “Philosophy. Virtue. Future,” dedicated to the philosophical and scientific legacy of Abu Nasr al-Farabi.

Under the first agreement, the Department of Religious Studies and Cultural Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science will be granted “ICESCO Chair” status under the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The Chair will focus on three key areas of cooperation: research, education and capacity building, and dialogue and public education.

In the field of research, the partnership aims to advance studies in religious studies and cultural studies, as well as explore the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Islamic world and Central Asia. In education and capacity building, specialized courses and professional training programs will be developed for students and researchers from ICESCO member states, alongside summer schools and academic mobility programs. The third area will focus on organizing international conferences and seminars and preparing scholarly publications.

The agreement was signed by KazNU Rector Zhanseit Tuimebayev and ICESCO Director-General Salim M. Al-Malik.

Under the second agreement, KazNU plans to establish an Al-Farabi Institute at Zhengzhou University in China. The institute will support the preparation of joint publications, translations, and scholarly works. The two universities also intend to establish a specialized library and a digital repository of academic resources while ensuring compliance with copyright regulations. Further cooperation with other international research institutions is also envisaged.

The third memorandum aims to strengthen educational cooperation between KazNU and the International Islamic University Malaysia. The agreement provides for exchange visits by faculty and staff, as well as short-term programs for students. Both universities intend to combine their research expertise, secure funding for joint research projects, and prepare collaborative publications for academic journals.