The 5th general assembly of Silk Road Universities was held on Al-Farabi Kazakh National University at 18-21 September 2019.
Silk road universities network, the SUN, is a network shaped of universities of countries located on the water lands and lands considered as the silk road territories. The first idea was proposed by Hankuk University of South Koreaand stablished by 25 university members in 2015. The network is aimed on developing scientific, cultural, social and humanistic relations between countries located on silk road by relying on student and academical associations and rectors of the universities of the SUN. Heretofore the network has succeeded to subscribe 80 universities of silk road as the members of the SUN, so that universities from Japan, South Korea, China, South East Asia, Central Asia, Eurasia, Middle East, North Africa, Russia and West Europe are the members of this network. According to the regulations of SUN, only 5 university from each country can join the network. In May 2019, The University of Guilan joined the network and before that Allameh tabataba'i university, the University of Isfahan and Imam Khomeini International universities were the members of the network.
Due to the scientific and economical changes in the east, SUN plays a crucial role in the economic development of Asian countries. Having European countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Russia as its members, the network has stepped further into promoting academic collaborations and cultural/economic exchanges between Iran and countries along the historical Silk Road.