ASTANA – Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) launched the Brain Institute, the first specialized scientific and educational center of its kind in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, on June 1, reported the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) launched the Brain Institute on June 1. Photo credit: gov.kz
The institute was established on the basis of KazNU’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, founded in 2018, and is the result of years of work in brain research and specialist training. Research will be conducted using advanced technologies, including a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, high-density EEG systems, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, artificial intelligence and big data analytics.
“The development of scientific and technological potential, interdisciplinary research and the introduction of innovation into production are among the key tasks facing the academic community. The opening of the Brain Institute is a tangible result of this policy,” KazNU Rector Zhanseit Tuimebayev said.
President of the National Academy of Sciences Akylbek Kurishbayev described the institute as an important milestone for Kazakh science and an example of successful cooperation between the country’s leading university and the National Academy of Sciences. He said the initiative would contribute to strengthening Kazakhstan’s intellectual sovereignty and human capital.
The institute’s research will focus on brain development, cognitive functions, neurodegenerative diseases, emotions and decision-making, multilingual neurolinguistics, and the development of new diagnostic and predictive biomarkers.
