The Lumières Foundation, a new Franco-Kazakh platform dedicated to enhancing cooperation in higher education, science, and workforce development, was unveiled on May 5 at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU) in Astana.
Photo credit: MNU
The opening, which was supported by the French Embassy in Kazakhstan and attended by Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education Talgat Yeshenkulov, marked the formal launch of an institutional initiative aimed at expanding university partnerships, promoting dual-degree programs, and increasing student mobility between Kazakhstan and France.
French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sylvain Guiaugue. Photo credit: MNU
French Ambassador Sylvain Guiaugué described the opening as a crucial step in bilateral educational diplomacy, with the foundation serving as a long-term tool for structuring and developing current academic cooperation.
“Today, with the creation of the Lumières Foundation, we are opening a new chapter in this cooperation. We are moving to a new, more structured, ambitious and decisively future-oriented stage,” he said.
According to Guiaugué, the foundation will provide a uniform framework for promoting educational programs, co-financing scholarships, and reacting more directly to Kazakhstan’s economic and workforce needs via academic infrastructure.
Talgat Narikbayev, Maqsut Narikbayev University Chairman, described the effort as a practical extension of the broader political discussion between Astana and Paris, stressing that educational collaboration has emerged as a defining pillar of bilateral relations.
“Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Emmanuel Macron have repeatedly noted that the development and strengthening of ties in education, science and culture are among the key directions of partnership between France and Kazakhstan,” Narikbayev said.
He stated that the foundation’s goal is not just to strengthen institutional cooperation, but also to establish a long-term platform for youth opportunity.
“I am convinced that this foundation will become not only a center for the development and strengthening of cooperation between the universities of France and Kazakhstan, but also a unique space for ideas, knowledge and new opportunities for the youth of our countries,” he said.
Agnès Bousset, deputy director of the Lumières Foundation, sees the initiative as a solution to a separate challenge: a lack of quality Franco-Kazakh initiatives, rather than limited visibility and access.
Agnès Bousset, deputy director of the Lumières Foundation. Photo credit: MNU
“These outstanding programs, both long-established and newly emerging, are unfortunately still not sufficiently known in Kazakhstan. That was one of the first reasons we decided to create this foundation,” she said.
Bousset stated that while Kazakhstan and France have dozens of academic connections, including dual degrees in important industries, the foundation aims to integrate these opportunities under one framework while attracting fresh public and private funding.
“Today, there is still no real financing mechanism for student mobility at the bachelor’s level. That is why we decided to create this foundation,” she said.
She added that Lumières will prioritize undergraduate scholarships, new academic programs, and stronger connections between universities, scientific research, and employers to transform bilateral education into a broader ecosystem that connects knowledge exchange with Kazakhstan’s modernization priorities.
