Uzbekistan Joins the Consortium of Networked Electronic Libraries of Russian Universities

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Thirty-five higher education institutions in Uzbekistan have officially joined the Nonprofit Consortium of Networked Electronic Libraries (NEL), operated by the Russian Edtech company “Lan.”

This move is part of broader efforts to create a unified academic space between Central Asian countries and Russia, opening new opportunities for sharing educational resources and teaching methodologies.

According to Alexander Nikiforov, CEO of “Lan,” Uzbekistan’s participation in the NEL not only facilitates integration of library resources but also promotes Russian academic standards, competencies, and methodologies internationally. “This is a systemic step that allows for sharing best practices and creating synergy in the development of digital educational technologies,” he emphasized.

The highest activity in using the Consortium’s resources has been observed at Tashkent State Pedagogical University, Fergana Polytechnic Institute, and Urgench State Institute, where students and faculty were the first to adopt NEL’s digital content. The platform provides instant access to thousands of academic and scientific materials and gives universities new opportunities to promote their own publications internationally.

The NEL Consortium was established in 2020 by “Lan” and currently unites over 400 universities from Russia and CIS countries, including 22 universities in Belarus and four in Kazakhstan. Its digital library holds approximately 91,500 units of content, including monographs, textbooks, study guides, problem books, and methodological materials across all disciplines. In 2025, the number of content accesses exceeded 4.72 million.

The expansion of Uzbek universities’ participation in the NEL highlights the project’s relevance within the region’s educational community and demonstrates growing integration of digital resources to enhance specialist training and advance academic cooperation between countries.