Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Creative economy is a rapidly developing sector of the world economy; it makes a significant contribution to the GDP of developed countries, the development of the potential for this growing sector of the economy is one of the priority areas of modern higher education.

Creative Spark is a five-year initiative to support international universities and institutional partnerships to develop entrepreneurial skills and creative economies in seven countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and Ukraine in cooperation with the UK.

The program in Uzbekistan was developed in response to wide-ranging national reforms in the economy and education and to support the national creative sector and the demand for entrepreneurial learning leading to wealth and job creation. As part of Creative Spark, six successful partnerships have been established to date between leading educational institutions in Uzbekistan and the UK, such as Goldsmiths, University of London, London South Bank University, Queen Margaret University, Goldsmiths, University of Leicester and the University of Central Lancashire, as well as such agencies like Change School and People 1st to give young people the opportunity to develop the skills they need to compete in the global job market. These partnerships are aimed at stimulating the development of education in the field of creative entrepreneurship, creating innovation centers and introducing students to the peculiarities of thinking aimed at developing business and skills for successful employment.

Director of the British Council in Uzbekistan Denise Woddingham said: “Over the past 5 years, the Creative Spark program has been one of the most important programs in which leading educational institutions in Uzbekistan and the UK are working together to create new approaches aimed at developing skills that will contribute to economic development of the country and successful employment of youth”.

Among the key partners of the national program are the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the El Yurt Umidi Foundation, the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 8 higher educational institutions Uzbekistan, including Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent State University of Economics, Tashkent State Technical University, National Institute of Arts and Design, State Institute of Art and Culture and its branches, International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage "Silk Road" in Samarkand, Tashkent Institute of Textile and light industry, which are working together to support broader national development and capacity building goals.

From 28 November to 1 December 2022, the final event of the Creative Spark project in Uzbekistan was held at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The event will focus on the results of the project and the development of recommendations for sustainable change to be developed in collaboration with all stakeholders. This final event will take the form of a workshop focusing on collaborative writing on the results of the project, during which a range of existing reports, research literature will be reviewed, including a recent report on mapping the Creative Economy commissioned by the British Council. Also, direct experience of pedagogical work can serve as a basis for further planning of teaching creative entrepreneurship in higher education. The workshop will build on all the work done under the Creative Spark project in Uzbekistan, explore best national and international practices that exist today, and contribute to the sustainability of the work to develop creative entrepreneurial education in Uzbekistan.

The collaborative writing effort will cover a range of topics including curricula, creative hubs and hubs, strategies and changing industry practices, diversity and intellectual property. It is expected that as a result, articles will be created and published in national and international journals on the creative economy and creative education.