On March 2, 2026, the Rector of the Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Ferdinand Daňo, received H.E. Zhanna Saginova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Slovak Republic, on a courtesy visit. The meeting was also attended by Vice-Rector for International Relations Boris Mattoš.
Rector Daňo presented the ambassador with the focus of the university, its mission and vision, as well as the main areas of its educational and research activities. Vice-Rector Mattoš presented the international dimension of the university and cooperation with partner institutions in Kazakhstan. The Bratislava University of Economics and Business has concluded cooperation agreements with the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan in Astana and the International University of Tourism and Hospitality. The valid memoranda of understanding and cooperation agreements create a framework for academic and scientific-research cooperation, including the exchange of students and teachers, the organization of joint conferences and seminars, the exchange of scientific materials and publications, and the sharing of professional knowledge.
Vice-Rector Mattoš also informed the ambassador that students from Kazakhstan make up the third largest group of foreign students in EUBA study programs. The university also regularly participates in educational fairs in Astana and Almaty. In 2026, the Erasmus+ grant, Key Action 171, for student and staff mobility in cooperation with the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, was also increased, with the project duration until 31 July 2027.
Ambassador Saginova stated that 628 students from Kazakhstan studied in Slovakia in 2025, and appreciated the cooperation with university institutions in Kazakhstan. In the interview, she also pointed out the dynamic economic and technological development of the country, especially in the areas of digitalization, artificial intelligence and the development of the digital economy, which are among the key priorities of the Kazakh government.
At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Saginova expressed her readiness to support the further expansion and strengthening of academic and scientific cooperation between EUBA and university institutions in Kazakhstan.
