A new international university - University of Innovation and Technology (InnoTech) - will open in Almaty, offering world-class education within Kazakhstan and aiming to strengthen the country’s digital economy and innovation ecosystem.

The university is being established through a partnership between Arizona State University, Q Group, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

The first urban campus in the business district of Almaty is expected to open in 2026, while a larger innovation campus inspired by American university models is planned for 2028.

InnoTech aims to train specialists for the digital economy, support innovation, and help retain talented young people within the country. Currently, more than 90,000 Kazakh students travel abroad each year to obtain internationally recognized degrees. The new university is designed to provide a global-level alternative at home.

The official agreement to establish the university was signed during a meeting of Central Asian leaders and the United States within the C5+1 format, with the participation of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan.

Arizona State University has been ranked the most innovative university in the United States for more than a decade by U.S. News & World Report and currently has a student community of over 181,000 learners worldwide.