Development of Dual-Degree Education and Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Tourism between Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and the University of Surrey

On 29 January, an online meeting was held between representatives of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and the University of Surrey, aimed at establishing a sustainable institutional platform for interdisciplinary academic collaboration in the field of sustainable tourism. The primary objective of the cooperation was to develop dual-degree educational programmes, implement joint academic and research projects, expand academic mobility of students and faculty members, and exchange advanced international practices in sustainable territorial development and tourism studies.

During the meeting, the academic and educational activities of the university and the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences were presented under the leadership of Dean Aliya Aktymbayeva. The discussion also involved the Head of the Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Ruslan Bayburiev, as well as deans and representatives of the Faculties of Medicine and Health, Philosophy and Political Science, Journalism, Philology, Physics, and the Higher School of Economics and Business. This broad participation highlighted the interdisciplinary and practice-oriented nature of the planned partnership and ensured a comprehensive approach to developing educational and research initiatives integrating humanities, socio-economic, and natural science disciplines.

The parties reviewed models of international academic cooperation, potential funding mechanisms for joint initiatives, and priority areas of collaboration focused on integrating educational programmes and advancing applied research in tourism. Particular attention was given to the contribution of the partnership to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Quality Education” through internationalisation of curricula and academic mobility, as well as Goal 17 “Partnerships for the Goals” through the establishment of long-term international academic and research alliances.