On 17 November 2025, at the invitation of Academician Kadir Gulamov—Fellow of CORE Academy and Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan—and Academician Shamansur Shaxsaidovich, First Vice President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and Director of the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, a delegation of the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities (CORE Academy) paid an official visit to the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances and the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
The delegation inspected key research facilities and laboratories, held in-depth discussions with members of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences on future cooperation, and took part in the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Chemical Society of Uzbekistan.
The delegation was led by Professor Lei Li, Board Member of CORE Academy, and Dr Raymond Jiarui Wu, Executive Vice Secretariat-General of CORE Academy. Academician Kadir Gulamov (Fellow of CORE Academy), Academician Shavkat A. Ayupov (President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and Fellow of the CORE Academy), and Academician Bobomurat Ahmedov (Fellow of CORE Academy) also joined the programme.
Visit to the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances
In the morning, the CORE Academy delegation visited the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. They were warmly received by Academician Shamansur Shaxsaidovich, who presented an overview of the institute’s history, academic structure, and its main achievements in recent years in plant chemistry, natural products, and related interdisciplinary fields.
The delegation then toured the institute’s core laboratories and key research platforms, gaining first-hand insight into its experimental conditions, equipment, and research environment. Delegates were particularly impressed by the institute’s efforts to advance both fundamental research and applied research, and to promote the transformation of scientific results into practical applications.
Several leading scientists from the institute delivered focused research presentations on their respective areas, outlining current projects and highlighting the potential industrial and societal applications of their work. These exchanges laid a solid foundation for future collaboration in joint research projects, technology transfer, and innovation-oriented cooperation between CORE Academy and the institute.
Signing the Cooperation Agreement with the Chemical Society of Uzbekistan
During the formal exchange session, Professor Lei Li expressed, on behalf of CORE Academy, sincere gratitude to Academicians Gulamov and Shaxsaidovich for their thoughtful arrangements and to the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances for their warm hospitality.
Professor Li briefly reviewed the founding background and development of CORE Academy, and highlighted the Academy’s work in building a global cooperation network, advancing international collaboration under the Eurasian and “Belt and Road” framework, and promoting the establishment of international joint laboratories.
He pointed out that CORE Academy and the scientific community in Uzbekistan share highly convergent interests in many fields. Beyond joint organization of academic conferences and mutual visits of young scholars, both sides can work together on co-applying for and implementing research projects, and explore broader opportunities in industrialization of research outputs, technology transfer, and demonstration projects.
In a constructive and cordial atmosphere, Professor Lei Li and Academician Shamansur Shaxsaidovich formally signed a cooperation agreement between CORE Academy and the Chemical Society of Uzbekistan. According to the agreement, the two sides will carry out long-term cooperation in:
· Joint scientific research activities
· Academic exchanges and reciprocal visits
· Scientific and technological study tours and field visits
· Co-organizing conferences, workshops, and seminars
· Scientific communication and public engagement in science
The agreement also encourages both parties to explore the establishment of joint research laboratories or scientific centres at an appropriate time in priority fields of common interest.
The meeting concluded in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The two sides exchanged commemorative gifts and took group photos, expressing their shared determination to take this visit and the signing of the cooperation agreement as a new starting point for closer collaboration between CORE Academy, the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, and the Chemical Society of Uzbekistan—using science as a bridge and cooperation as a bond, and jointly opening a new chapter of mutually beneficial, forward-looking scientific cooperation between China and Uzbekistan and across the wider Eurasian region.
Visit to the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
In the afternoon, the CORE Academy delegation paid an official visit to the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, where they were received with great hospitality by Academician Shavkat A. Ayupov, President of the Academy, together with members of the Presidium.
Professor Ayupov warmly welcomed the delegation and fondly recalled his recent meeting with Professor Lei Li and Dr Raymond Wu during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences earlier in the month. He remarked that the reunion in Tashkent offers an excellent opportunity to deepen cooperation and implement concrete projects based on the agreements already signed.
Professor Ayupov then gave a comprehensive introduction to the history, disciplinary structure, and key research priorities of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, emphasizing its central role in promoting national scientific and technological innovation, supporting strategic emerging industries, and serving the country’s modernization agenda. He expressed a strong interest in CORE Academy’s experience in building international cooperation networks, fostering interdisciplinary research, and creating new types of research institutions and joint laboratories.
Professor Lei Li expressed heartfelt thanks for the warm reception and further elaborated on CORE Academy’s organizational structure, operating model, and the concrete research directions and international projects of its affiliated laboratories and cooperation centres in physics, engineering, information technology, and the humanities and social sciences.
During the discussions, Academician Gulamov gave a concise overview of the cooperation agreements already signed between CORE Academy and various institutions and scientists in Uzbekistan, as well as the planned follow-up initiatives. He stressed that the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, its research institutes, and other universities and research organizations in the country are all keen to collaborate with CORE Academy in joint applications for international and national research projects, building joint laboratories and research platforms, and organizing high-level international academic conferences.
“Let us turn more of our paper-based agreements into concrete, actionable programmes,” Academician Gulamov urged during the meeting. His appeal was met with strong agreement from the members of the Presidium, who expressed their full support for deepening cooperation with CORE Academy—especially in advancing tangible research projects, strengthening substantive scientific collaboration, and training the next generation of young researchers.
The meeting concluded in a cordial and dynamic atmosphere, followed by group photos. On behalf of CORE Academy, Professor Lei Li and Dr Raymond Jiarui Wu presented an honorary certificate and a gold badge to Academician Shavkat A. Ayupov as a Senior Member of CORE Academy, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to mathematics and science, and his important efforts in deepening cooperation between Uzbekistan and the international academic community.
All parties agreed that this visit has not only further strengthened mutual trust between CORE Academy and the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and its affiliated institutions, but has also opened broad prospects for multi-level, wide-ranging, and long-term cooperation. Looking ahead, both sides will continue to use science as the common language and collaboration as the driving force, working together to elevate scientific cooperation between China, Uzbekistan, and the broader Eurasian region to a higher level, and to create a new landscape of mutual benefit, shared growth, and jointly built scientific partnerships.
