De Montfort University (DMU) will offer a pharmacy degree in Uzbekistan after helping to start a new university in its capital, it announced last week (February 13). 

The first cohort of DMU’s MSci Pharmacy degree will start in September 2025 at the new Pharmaceutical Technical University (PTU) in Tashkent once they have finished their international foundation year in science this year. 

The PTU has been launched in response to “produce more qualified pharmacists to keep up with local demand” and was “initiated by presidential decree in 2019”, DMU said. 

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The university confirmed to C+D that the MSci is designed to be fit for purpose for the regional needs, and it has worked with PTU since the project to build the new university began. 

DMU provided training for eight of the university’s future teaching staff in Leicester and PTU assistant lecturer Komala Narzikulova said this new opportunity to get a DMU degree is “of great significance” for young people in Uzbekistan. 

“This education provides the skills, knowledge, and exposure to international perspectives and empowers them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their country and to be part of a more interconnected, globally competitive workforce,” she added. 

DMU’s partnership development manager Duncan Hepworth travelled to Tashkent for PTU’s official opening and met with Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev, who thanked DMU for their involvement in supporting the new university. 

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“Uzbekistan is among one of the largest consumers and producers of medicine in the region [Central Asia], but a lot of their technical expertise comes from neighbouring countries. This project will help address that balance, which is something that DMU can be proud to be involved in,” he said. 

DMU is one of six institutions currently working with PTU, with the University of Sunderland (UoS) also partnering with the university. 

It told C+D that it’s going through the process of launching biomedical and biochemistry programmes with a planned intake this September, and in the future it expects to offer computing and management courses so students can graduate with a UoS degree from PTU. 

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In December, DMU’s pharmacy school successfully renewed a gender equality award for another five years. 

And a new pharmacy school is being planned to launch for the 2026/27 academic year at the University of Suffolk, after Bangor University and the University of Sheffield both announced plans to offer pharmacy degrees from September 2025.