The 2nd International Meeting of the Silk Road Astronomy Research and Education Alliance was Held in Tashkent in May 2026
From May 18 to 22, 2026, the 2nd International Meeting of the Silk Road Astronomy Research and Education Alliance (hereinafter referred to as "Silk Road AREA") was held in Tashkent, the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The meeting was hosted by the Silk Road AREA and organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) of New Uzbekistan University. With the theme "Exploring Frontiers in Dynamical Astronomy Using High-Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Advanced Observational Technologies," the meeting brought together more than 150 prominent scientists, scholars and educators from over 20 countries and regions worldwide to discuss cutting-edge advances in astronomy and the future of international cooperation.
Attending the opening ceremony were K.A. Sharipov, Minister of Higher Education, Innovation and Science of Uzbekistan; the President of New Uzbekistan University; the Co-President of the Silk Road AREA, Professor Li Zhongmu(China) and Professor Rainer Spurzem (Germany); as well as the Alliance’s Vice-Presidents: Professor Bobomurat Ahmedov (Uzbekistan), Professor Chingis Omarov (Kazakhstan), Professor M.B.N. (Thijs) Kouwenhoven (Netherlands), Professor Hyung Mok Lee (South Korea), and Dr. Hesti Wulandari (Indonesia).
During the meeting, participants from different countries engaged in extensive academic exchanges, which fostered the cross-fertilization of ideas and research collaboration, and powerfully promoted the in-depth development of cutting-edge scientific research. At the same time, members of the Alliance’s Presidium held in-depth consultations, reaching broad consensus on issues such as the organizational development of the Alliance, mechanisms for academic exchange, and joint training of talents. They focused particularly on the co-establishment of the "Silk Road International Joint Laboratory for Astronomical Big Data" as a core task, and made important interim progress on the laboratory’s construction plan, resource-sharing mechanisms, and research direction planning.
Silk Road AREA is an important international academic organization co-founded in 2025 in Dali, Yunnan Province, China, by ten founding member states including China, Germany, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and South Korea, with its secretariat permanently based at Dali University. The Alliance aims to integrate astronomical scientific research and educational resources of countries along the Silk Road, build a cross-border and interdisciplinary cooperation platform, and promote the common development of global astronomy.
The successful holding of this meeting marks that Silk Road AREA has entered a new stage of rapid development. The international influence of the meeting has been significantly enhanced. Several countries that sent representatives to the meeting for the first time have formally submitted applications to join the Alliance, injecting new vitality into the Alliance. In the future, the Silk Road AREA will continue to uphold the philosophy of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits", continuously deepen pragmatic cooperation among its member states, and make greater contributions to advancing global astronomical scientific progress and enhancing exchanges and mutual learning among different cultures.
