ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s newest research institution, Nazarbayev University, launched a new 2,000 square metre Technological Park (TechnoPark) in hopes of growing the country’s research and innovation sector.
The facility, launched in mid-July, provides researchers with space for experiments and resources to help them commercialise their work and formulate new ideas. Minister of Education and Science Aslan Sarinzhipov attended the opening ceremony.
University partners from South Korea and the U.K. helped design the facility. It is designed to house biotechnology, robotics, IT, renewable energy and mechanics projects. The Technopark will enable the university to conduct its own scientific research and commercialise it.
“The opening of this Technopark signifies the beginning of the third stage of the Nazarbayev University that focuses on applying science to common, everyday uses,” Sarinzhipov said at the opening ceremony. “The first stage entailed the development and implementation of the academic curriculum and inviting the best professors. The second stage concerned building up the research and scientific base of the university. Currently, scientists, along with young graduates from the Bolashak programme (Kazakhstan’s state education scholarship awarded to outstanding students for study abroad) are carrying out research at Nazarbayev University. Thus, we can see the results of the second phase. Today, we are launching the third stage.”
The new facility will help anyone with an idea make it a reality. Applicants must apply to the commercialisation centre. Selected projects will not only receive funding, but also space to carry out the research.
The Technopark is a continuation of the plan to develop an intellectual-innovative cluster at Nazarbayev University and establish it as a world class research institution. It will help create a favourable environment for researchers and attract more research investments in Kazakhstan.
