LONDON, January 28. /Dunyo IA/.  Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ravshan Usmanov, held a meeting with Joel Arber, Group Managing Director of the British company “Southern Universities Management Services” (SUMS), reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The sides discussed prospects for expanding cooperation between universities in Uzbekistan and one of the United Kingdom’s most authoritative higher education consultancy organisations.

Southern Universities Management Services (SUMS) is a UK-based consultancy specialising in the management and strategic development of higher education institutions. The company brings together a team of professional consultants with extensive experience in the higher education sector, providing universities with support in designing modern and effective governance solutions. “SUMS” has also established enduring partnerships with some of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious and respected universities.

During the meeting, Joel Arber provided a detailed overview of SUMS’ activities, highlighting the organisation’s core areas of expertise. These include developing strategic plans for universities, analysing leadership and governance systems, optimising organisational structures, enhancing educational quality, strengthening financial sustainability, implementing digital and institutional transformation and fostering innovation in both educational and administrative practices.

In addition, the discussion highlighted SUMS’ extensive experience in supporting the establishment of overseas campuses for British universities, as well as in developing a wide range of international academic and research collaborations, including dual-degree programmes and other joint initiatives between higher education institutions.

According to Joel Arber, Uzbekistan possesses all the necessary conditions to potentially become one of the largest regional hubs for higher education services in the foreseeable future.

It was also emphasised that a key factor in achieving this goal is the development of joint projects with foreign universities in the fields of science and innovation, the establishment of faculty and student exchange programmes and the creation of sustainable, mutually beneficial collaboration in research and professional development.