Colorado School of Mines will work with an Uzbek organisation to create a new technical university in Samarkand.
The American public university will team up with Sanoat Energetika Guruhi (SEG), which was created to advance the development of the Uzbek energy sector.
The new university, to be named Samarkand International Technical University, will focus on subjects including mining, metallurgy, gas chemistry, petrochemicals and mechanical engineering. It will also provide education in entrepreneurship and leadership.
SITU will also host a centre for the culture and history of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is committed to increasing scientific and academic cooperation and integrating into the global educational system, SEG majority shareholder Bakhtiyor Fazilov said.
"Building a school from scratch, as we are with SITU, is an exciting opportunity to rethink engineering education for the 21st century," Colorado School of Mines's vice executive for global initiatives John Bradford said.
"To meet the demands of the global energy transition, we need more scientists and engineers who understand the technical, social, policy and environmental challenges of resource extraction…around the world."
The two groups signed the agreement last week in New York.
Colorado School of Mines will help develop SITU's Academic Master Plan and curriculum and advise on campus infrastructure. Colorado School of Mines will also help in the hiring of SITU's executive leadership as well as faculty.
Mines will also help SITU open an innovation centre and laboratory, which will be modelled on the school's McNeil Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The campus will be located in the Samarkand suburbs, and has the support of the local mayor's office.
