17/12/2025
Heriot-Watt University: Commemorative Plaque Unveiled at New Academic and Laboratory Building
Following an initiative by the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, an international campus of the leading British technical university Heriot-Watt University was opened in 2023 at K. Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University. Construction of the university’s main academic and laboratory building is currently underway.
Today, as part of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom, a ceremonial unveiling of a commemorative plaque for the academic and laboratory building took place. The event was attended by Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan Gulzat Kobenova, Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University Richard Williams, and Chair of the Board and Rector of K. Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University Laura Karabassova.
The new academic and laboratory building is designed to form a modern educational infrastructure, expand research capacity, and foster an innovative academic environment. The three-storey facility has a total floor area of 5,007.5 square metres and is located on a 4.25-hectare site, providing space for 1,000 students. The project meets international standards and incorporates advanced construction technologies.
The Heriot-Watt University campus in Aktobe offers degree programmes in Electrical Power Engineering, accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK); Computer Engineering, accredited by the Energy Institute and the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (UK); and Petroleum Engineering and Energy Management, accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT (UK). Teaching is delivered by highly qualified faculty from Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia, as well as graduates of leading international universities.
The campus currently enrolls 518 students from various regions of Kazakhstan, including cities of national significance and rural areas (35%), as well as students from neighbouring countries such as Uzbekistan and Russia, and from further abroad, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. Students from Afghanistan and Pakistan study under the Bolashak StudyInn scholarship programme.
One of the key advantages of Heriot-Watt University is the GoGlobal academic mobility programme, which allows students to spend a semester studying at campuses in Dubai, Malaysia or Edinburgh. In the 2024–2025 academic year, 12 students studied in Malaysia and four in Edinburgh; in the first semester of the 2025–2026 academic year, 14 students are studying in Malaysia.
Studying at an innovative campus with modern infrastructure also enables students to join the global Heriot-Watt alumni community, exchange experience with international companies and enhance their professional skills.
Graduates of the Heriot-Watt University campus in Aktobe receive a dual degree—both a British and a state-recognised diploma—significantly increasing their competitiveness in the labour market.
gov.kz