I.Tasmagambetov: Scientific success depends on integration into economy

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Imangali Tasmagambetov held an official meeting with members of International Council for Science and Commercialization created within a joint Fostering Innovation Project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan and the World Bank. The council includes 2 Kazakh and 5 foreign experts: Askar Aryngazin, Ayup Iskakov, Thomas A. Cellucci, Azoulay Eric Calais, Basheer Chanbasha, Martin Emil, Mehdi Majidi, who are currently identifying the best projects of a competition held in August this year. The grant competition received in total over 400 applications, 71 projects of which were selected by the council. They are at the moment at the second stage of a competitive selection process of identifying 30 projects to receive grant funding.

I.Tasmagambetov focused on elaboration of projects in such trendy areas as renewable energy, nano- and biotechnology, robotics.

Vice Prime Minister stressed that “priority projects for our country are those in aerospace field, in view of prospective international status of Baikonur Cosmodrome.”

“Science advancement is important for any state, as you clearly know. And country`s success depends on the level of this field`s development and integration into economy. With the direct support of the Head of State and due to success of the international financial institutions, the development of science for the first time over the years of independence receives such a large amount of funds. In this regard, it is important to understand that proportionate funding for future research depends on the competent and efficient work on national science development,” I.Tasmagambetov said.

One of the project components involves the creation of innovation consortia of industrial and social sectors to address urgent problems and improve living standards by advancing social services.

Fostering Productive Innovation Project is scheduled to be implemented in Kazakhstan in 2016-2021. The project consists of five components, which are grants for research projects and PhD research, grants for creating industrial and social innovation consortia, a component enabling consolidation of commercialization cycle of technologies aimed at creating a venture capital fund, brokerage team, technological acceleration offices abroad, and a component which finances the activities of project management team. In addition, a platform for monitoring of innovations in the country is planned to be established on the basis of universities, Kazinform refers to government.kz.