From June 23 to 27, the 18th edition of the GEM-SILKWAY Summer School was held in Tashkent—an international eventfocused on sustainable energy management.
Organized within the framework of the SILKWAYinternationalnetwork and directed by Prof. Maurizio Acciarri (University of Milano-Bicocca), the 2025 edition welcomed 28 students from Europe, Azerbaijan and Central Asia, along with experts and institutional representatives, to address the key challenges of the energy transition.
The opening ceremony featured the participation of Prof. InomMadjidov, Rector of the National University of Uzbekistan; Prof. RaimaShirinova, Vice-Rector; and Federico Failla, Italian Deputy Ambassador for Central Asia. Ambassador Failla emphasized the strategic involvement of the SILKWAY network and its Summer Schools in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' “Italy + 5” initiative.
This initiative, with Italy as a pioneering promoter within the European Union, aims to strengthen multilateral dialogue and cooperation with the five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The school also hosted a roundtable discussion, organized as an official activity within the “Italy + 5” framework, titled: Common Horizons: A Shared Vision for Green Energy Transition.
The next edition of the Summer School is scheduled for June 2026 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.