Nazarbayev University has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global WtERT Council. The purpose of the memorandum is to transform Kazakhstan into a leading country in waste-to-energy research and technology in Central Asia. The MoU was signed by the President of Nazarbayev University, Shigeo Katsu, the President of Global WtERT Council Inc., professor Nickolas J. Themelis and Vice-President of International Relations of Global WtERT Council, Inc., Reda M. Kabbaj.
As a result of this agreement, a Kazakhstani branch of the WtERT Global Council opened at the NU School of Engineering and Digital Sciences. Professor Jong Kim, Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NU SEDS, will head this branch.
This will also enable NU staff and students to use Columbia University facilities, including some leading universities in Japan and Europe, which are also WtERT members as research centers.
The Global WtERT Council (GWC) was founded in 2002 as a significant program of the Earth Engineering Center (EEC) at Columbia University in New York, USA. Аn international top-tier-technical group brings together and contributes to high-level dialogue among scientists, engineers, public advocates, the business community, universities, and government to advance sustainable waste management technologies worldwide. Today, the WtERT Global Council is the most advanced international research organization on recovering materials and energy from solid waste. Since 1997, it has been researching the generation and disposal of used materials and products in the United States and worldwide.
In the future, it is planned to hold a forum at Nazarbayev University jointly with the Global WtERT Council, where leading experts from around the world will share their knowledge, experience, and best practices in waste management.