The 5th Tashkent Business and Economics Conference, TBEC 2026, will look at how to use the Silk Road, as a way of promoting trade integration, regional connectivity, and economic transformation in Central Asia. Central Asia is situated where the East meets the West, and the North meets the South and is an increasingly important piece of the global trade system in this time of changing global value chains, shifting geopolitical alignments and accelerating digitalisation.

• Examine how Central Asia has been changing over time as far as trade, both regionally and internationally, as well as changes in investment flows.

• Analyse ways to connect regions with one another through different means of transportation and logistics along the New Silk Road.

• Facilitate the use of evidence-based policy discussions regarding trade facilitation, regional cooperation and economic integration.

• Promote interdisciplinary research connecting Economic Research, Business Research, Financial Research, Infrastructure Research, and Digital Transformation Research.

• Increase the amount of collaborative research with other countries results in visibility of the work relating to Central Asia.

International Participant: 50 USD

Local participants : 500,000 UZS

Students: 250,000 UZS

Registration Deadline: 31st July 2026

• Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.

• Extended abstracts must not exceed 1,200 words (excluding references).

• Full papers should be 5,000 – 7,500 words (singlespaced, Times New Roman, 12pt, 1-inch margins), not exceeding 15 pages in total (excluding references).

• Manuscripts must follow APA Style (latest edition) for citations, references, tables, figures, and overall formatting.

• AI and the Future of Human Capital - Reshaping the Central Asian Economies and Silk Road

• Tourism, Culture, and Soft Connectivity - Hospitality, Heritage, and People-to-People Integration

• Reimagining the Silk Road-Regional Connectivity, Trade Integration, and Central Asia’s Strategic Role

• Financial Innovation and Infrastructure Finance Along the Digital Silk Road

• Sustainable Growth and Climate Action - Green Economy and Critical Minerals for Inclusive Development

For detailed descriptions of the panel discussions and special sessions, download the Guide.

• Innovation, Startups, and the Knowledge Economy for Food Security: Entrepreneurship along the Silk Road

• Academia–Policy–Industry Dialogue from Research to Policy Impact in Central Asia

• Special issue - International Journal of Tourism Research Q1 / WoS / SSCI

• Special issue - Silk Road: A Journal of Eurasian Development

• Eurasian Economics & Business Dynamics (EEBD) - WIUT Business School Research Journal

• Conference proceedings with ISBN

• Edited volumes with international academic publishers