Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — More than 900 university students from across Central Asia took part in the “Central Asia – Atom 2050” meeting at the Tashkent branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
The event brought together 200 participants in person and more than 700 online.
Participants included Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev; Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, director of Uzbekistan’s Agency for Atomic Energy under the Cabinet of Ministers; Timur Zhantikin, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy; Mirlan Parkhanov, deputy energy minister of Kyrgyzstan; and Abduvakil Rasulov, director general of TAUZ Hydro, a joint-stock company under Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources. The meeting was moderated by Tatyana Terentyeva, Rosatom’s deputy director general for human resources.
Leaders of Impact Team 2050, Rosatom’s international youth advisory council, presented findings from four national youth nuclear dialogues held in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with young people from Tajikistan also participating.
“The survey found that the main barriers to entering the industry are a lack of practical experience and experienced mentors, as well as limited clarity about career paths and training opportunities,” the presentation said.
Safety was the main concern, particularly among participants from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The strongest factors for attracting young people to the industry were practical experience and mentorship, cited by 69% of respondents; clear career prospects, 62%; greater openness in the industry, 54%; and support at the start of a career, 47%.
Speakers included Mukhiddin Umidov, Uzbekistan’s representative on the Impact Team 2050 council and a master’s student at MEPhI’s Institute of Nuclear Energy; Diana Gamazova, the council’s mentor from Kazakhstan and head of the “Nuclear Energy for Central Asia” project; and Bektan Kydyev, Kyrgyzstan’s council representative and chairman of the Kyrgyzstan Students Association.
Following the presentations, industry leaders discussed the young participants’ proposals and provided feedback.
The main proposal from the Atom 2050 participants was to establish a Central Asian Youth Platform for Nuclear Cooperation as a permanent forum for exchanging initiatives and implementing joint projects. Events would be held in different countries across the region to enable regular meetings between young people and industry leaders.
“One of the key ideas put forward by Central Asia’s young nuclear specialists was to make this event annual,” Likhachev said. He added that this would allow aspiring nuclear professionals from across the region to exchange experience, take part in additional professional education programmes involving leading MEPhI lecturers, and work together on projects to develop nuclear energy and technology.
“I am confident that this initiative will lay the foundation for long-term and strong youth cooperation and enable young nuclear specialists to shape the future of Central Asia’s nuclear industry together,” he said. Rosatom fully supports the format and is ready to work with industry colleagues across the region to hold the next youth programme under the auspices of Impact Team 2050 in 2027, he added.
“It is important not only to tell young people what we can offer, but also to listen to what they themselves need from the nuclear industry,” Terentyeva said. She stressed the importance of designing the future together through dialogue and shaping strategy and the international agenda.
“Today, young leaders described the future they want for the industry and showed that they are ready to take responsibility for building it. Our task is to give them every opportunity to do so,” she said, describing the meeting as an important part of this broader joint effort.
Impact Team 2050 is an international youth advisory council to the director general of Rosatom. Likhachev announced its establishment at the Global Impact Conference in 2021.
The council provides a platform for dialogue between Rosatom’s leadership and young international leaders on nuclear technology, sustainable development and international youth cooperation. Its main objectives include developing proposals for engagement with international youth, involving young leaders in Rosatom’s educational and partnership initiatives, and expanding support for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Members of Impact Team 2050 held the Central Asian national youth nuclear dialogues from September to October 2026. Four dialogues took place in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan—with participation from Tajik youth—and Uzbekistan.
The dialogues brought together 1,050 participants from 18 universities, and organisers collected 800 survey responses. Young people shared proposals to make nuclear-sector careers more attractive and strengthen youth cooperation on nuclear energy across the region.
The Atom 2050 project is scheduled to launch in 2027 with Rosatom’s support. It will bring together 100 young people from different countries with scientists, engineers, experts, strategists and science-fiction writers to explore the question: “What might the world look like in 2050, and what role will nuclear and related technologies play in its development?”
Participants will take technical tours of Rosatom facilities, meet leading experts, attend “knowledge laboratories” and jointly develop future scenarios.
At the end of 2027, the team will present its vision to decision-makers shaping the development of technologies, industries and countries.