A group of International Information Technology University faculty — Aidos Sarsembayev, Yergali Dauletbek and Lyazzat Naizabayeva — is taking two-week big data courses in Spain at the University of Santiago de Compostela under the ELBA project. The ELBA project, in which IITU participates, aims to build capacity for training highly qualified specialists in Intelligent Big Data Analysis (IBDA) with diverse interdisciplinary backgrounds and to provide access to high-performance modern IBDA tools based on EU experience and technology, contributing to the sustainable development of educational institutions, local businesses and society as a whole. The faculty are upgrading their qualifications in the much-needed field of big data and on their return will start developing new modules and passing on their skills to students and colleagues.