A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan held talks at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. According to the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture, the purpose of the visit was to work out educational programs and other issues for the International Agricultural University, which is being created in Uzbekistan.

The delegation was headed by the Professor Munira Aminova, recently appointed advisor to the rector of the Tashkent State Agrarian University. Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture met with RAU Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Neil Ravenscroft, Head of the School of Agriculture Philip Hudson and Research Director Professor Mark Horton.

The delegation also met with students, teachers and other officials of the university, got acquainted with the infrastructure, visited the campus and the agro-technological incubator of the University Farm491. In addition, a new virtual learning environment and other innovations were presented, which are used when teaching RAU students at partner universities, for example, in China.

RAU is the oldest agricultural university in the UK, founded in 1845. It is under the royal patronage of the Prince of Wales. Negotiations with the university on cooperation began earlier this year.

In the summer, the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, RAU and the Lithuanian University Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) signed a tripartite memorandum on the basis of which negotiations are underway to establish a new university in Uzbekistan.

The memorandum provides for the exchange of teachers and students, the implementation of professional training and development programs for farmers and consultants of agro-oriented farms, joint research and more.