​For centuries the Silk Road was the long-distance route for trade and communication across Central Asia. Today, CAREN is upgrading this route to a 21st century high-speed Internet highway for research and education institutions throughout the region.

​Co-founded by the European Union and launched in 2010, CAREN sets out to create a high-capacity data-communications network for researchers, academics and students at over 300 institutions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.