Visually-Impaired Version 
The first corporate Lumières Foundation in Central Asia was launched in Astana. The organization, aimed at developing and strengthening cooperation between universities in Kazakhstan and France, will be based at Maqsut Narikbayev University.
The official opening ceremony of the foundation was held in cooperation with the Embassy of France in Kazakhstan and the Franco-Kazakh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFK). MNU serves as the institutional platform for launching the foundation’s activities in Kazakhstan, providing the necessary infrastructural and organizational support. Since the project’s inception, the university has actively contributed to its development, viewing the foundation as an important element in expanding academic and scientific cooperation between Kazakhstan and France.
“The launch of the foundation is a clear demonstration of mutual trust, shared values, and a long-term strategic partnership in education and science between Kazakhstan and France. This foundation is an important initiative aimed at strengthening the educational community, supporting science and innovation, and preparing future leaders. In this regard, we are confident that the Lumières Foundation will become a platform for new opportunities between our countries,” said Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Talgat Yeshenkulov.
The foundation’s mission is to promote co-financing of student mobility scholarships and to meet workforce training needs for French companies operating in Kazakhstan. A key priority of Lumières is to award quality certification to educational programs to ensure a high standard of instruction. The foundation also promotes partnership programs among students, organizes annual job fairs in Astana and Almaty, and contributes to the future of youth in Central Asia.
“Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Emmanuel Macron have repeatedly emphasized that strengthening ties in education, science, and culture is one of the key priorities of cooperation between Kazakhstan and France. In this context, today’s event represents a practical continuation of dialogue and engagement between our countries. I am confident that this foundation will become not only a center for developing and strengthening cooperation between universities in Kazakhstan and France, but also a unique space for ideas, knowledge, and new opportunities for the youth of our countries,” noted Chairman of the Management Board of MNU, Talgat Narikbayev.
An important area of the foundation’s work will be attracting private and public investment to fund academic mobility scholarship programs. Selected students will study in accordance with French and European standards and later pursue careers in Kazakhstan. According to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan, Sylvain Guiogué, the foundation opens a new chapter in Franco-Kazakh cooperation in education.
“The foundation aims to foster partnerships between French and Kazakh universities in the field of dual degree programs. Lumières also seeks to mobilize more resources, with the participation of companies, to support student mobility and bilateral academic programs,” said Sylvain Guiogué.
It should be noted that at the time of its launch, Lumières already oversees 17 dual degree programs and 40 ongoing partnership projects between universities in Kazakhstan and France. The foundation’s name refers to the “Age of Enlightenment” in France, as the 18th century laid the foundations of the humanities and the scientific worldview.
