35 higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan have joined the Non-Commercial Consortium of Network Electronic Libraries (NEL), which is operated by the Russian edtech company "Lan". The initiative aims to create a common academic space between Russia and Central Asian countries and expands opportunities for the exchange of educational resources.
Alexander Nikiforov, General Director of "Lan", noted that the connection of Uzbek universities contributes to the integration of library collections and the dissemination of Russian academic standards and methods. According to him, the project creates conditions for the exchange of best practices and the development of digital educational technologies.
Tashkent Pedagogical University, Fergana Polytechnic Institute and Urgench State Institute are the most actively involved in working with the platform. NEL provides access to tens of thousands of educational and scientific materials, and also allows universities to promote their own publications at the international level.
The consortium was established in 2020 on the basis of the "Lan" company and unites more than 400 universities in Russia and the CIS countries, including universities in Belarus and Kazakhstan. The digital library contains about 91,500 units of content - from monographs to methodological guides. In 2025, the number of accesses to materials exceeded 4.72 million.
The expansion of Uzbekistan's participation in the project reflects the growing demand for the integration of digital educational resources and the strengthening of academic cooperation in the region.