In this issue:
- Strategic Partnership
- Mahalla Research & Field Trip to Oliy Majlis
- Marketing Research
- innoWIUT – Going Innovative & Entrepreneurial
- Zakovat
- Student Model UN & Maths and Logic Hackathon
- Chartered Financial Analysts & Chartered Institute of Insurance
- Cultural & Creative Industries
- Upcoming Events (Coronavirus Response)

Dear Research Digest readers,

In this special issue, we are reflecting on 2019 – the year of new research opportunities & achievements, the year of internationalization & diversification, and innovation & entrepreneurship at Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) and excited about 2020 - the Year of Science, Enlightenment and Digital Economy in Uzbekistan.

Please see the attached Research Digest January 2020 (Download attachments).

Since the previous issue (December 2018), it has been a busy and rewarding academic semester for us at WIUT creating and sharing knowledge with you with the enthusiastic support from our staff, students and local and international partners of the university every step of the way. In this issue, you will learn about a range of activity-events hosted and results produced at Westminster International University in Tashkent.

As Director of WIUT’s new Center for Policy Research and Outreach (CPRO), I am excited because I believe in and practice applied research. When research works, it results in stronger policy and practice. The Center builds on WIUT’s 17 years of research experience

What is the best way to share ideas, challenge minds, meet new people, generate new thoughts and receive critical feedback? For any aspiring scholar, it is vital to attend conferences, workshops, summer schools and other academic events to share the passion and interest for your research.

Our students and staff keep raising the bar. We are Research Assistants and we have the opportunity platform to highlight the best academic development opportunity made available to all undergraduate students in Uzbekistan and beyond. We are proud to share our amazing experience under the Research Assistantship program at Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT).

You may wonder why students need to be engaged in cutting-edge research. Research is an endless process of endeavor. People always highly reward new – big ideas, because big ideas built on curiosity and hard work are drivers of human development and progress. Research skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, working in a team, qualitative and quantitative data analytical skills as well as academic writing and public speaking are highly demanded in the labor market and graduate programs today

Central Asia is a fascinating and one of the most under-researched regions. Throughout my academic travels, I often hear that universities in Central Asia do struggle to find academic staff who produce international-quality research. If there are good Central Asian academics, some say, then they are usually based outside the region

We are passionate about and striving to place Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) on the world research map. To do so, we have set a tangible goal to increase the number of publications in internationally peer-reviewed, web-of-science quality journals. In the last three years, we have made a noticeable progress towards this goal. Our University is now ranked as the top institution in Uzbekistan by a number of citations generated and re-ported by Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) run by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank