UCA and Soonchunhyang University Deepen Partnership Through AI Healthcare Innovation Programme
The University of Central Asia (UCA) is expanding its partnership with Soonchunhyang University (SCHU) in the Republic of Korea following the successful participation of UCA students and staff in the 2026 SCHU–Kyrgyzstan Global AI Healthcare Convergence Startup Ideathon.
The week-long programme provided an opportunity to students and faculty from UCA, SCHU and the International University of Kyrgyzstan (IUK) to explore how artificial intelligence can address real-world healthcare challenges through innovation, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Throughout the programme, participants visited leading innovation hubs, including Pangyo Techno Valley, the Samsung Innovation Museum, startup incubators and university innovation centres
For many students, the experience offered valuable insight into how governments, universities and industry work together to support innovation.
"Visiting key innovation hubs gave us a firsthand look at how government, industry and universities work together to foster entrepreneurship and innovation," said Assem Minsizbayeva, a Computer Science student at UCA.
Working alongside students from Korea and Kyrgyzstan, UCA participants designed innovative concepts ranging from AI-assisted diagnostic tools to digital healthcare platforms and pitched their ideas to an international panel of judges.
UCA students were part of two award-winning international teams at the Ideathon. One team received the JACF President's Award, while another earned the President's Award for their innovative AI healthcare solutions.
Dilnora Gulomkhaidarova, UCA’s Communications and Media student and her team won the JACF President's Award for Derma Link AI, an AI-powered skin analysis solution designed to support the early detection of skin conditions.
Reflecting on her team's success, Dilnora said: "Winning first place with our team made the experience even more meaningful and motivated me to continue working on similar projects in the future. Working at a real startup project inspired me to think more creatively and confidently about solving real-world problems through innovation."
Another international team featuring UCA students Ailin Adylova, Assem Minsizbayeva and Alimzhan Kamiev received the President's Award for I-Bom, an AI-assisted early screening support platform for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
For Ailin Adylova, this experience was transformative: "The programme challenged me to think critically, communicate effectively and work under pressure while developing an innovative solution. It strengthened not only my technical knowledge but also my teamwork, presentation and problem-solving skills."
Building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between UCA and SCHU in January 2026, the two universities are now preparing to launch a semester-long student exchange programme beginning in Spring 2027.
