ASTANA – The Central Communications Service (CCS) hosted a briefing on key trends in innovative and technical development in Kazakhstan on Jan. 9.
The briefing was attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Takir Balykbaev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the National Science and Technology Holding Parasat Lyazat Myltykbayeva and General Director of the Centre for Technology Commercialisation Damir Yegizbayev.
At the briefing, while presenting several promising innovations originating in Kazakhstan, Yegizbayev announced that plans to produce 3D printers in the country are underway, Kazakhstanskaya Pravda reported.
“These innovative devices are becoming increasingly popular around the world, but consumers face big challenges with such services. Our 3DLAB developers offer a turnkey service, which includes production, training, maintenance andconstant software updates. Our price is 20-30 percent lower than that of our competitors,” he said.
According to Yegizbayev, the first contract has already been signed. Grantees purchased four 3D printers that will be used in the production of insulation materials in the energy sector.
It was announced that Kazakhstan’s 3D developments will be presented on April 16 at the International Conference on 3D printing in Almaty.
According to the website of the Ministry of Education and Science, today, as part of the grant funding system, 1,933 projects and 86 scientific and technical programmes are being carried out. Total government funding for research and development reached 61.7 billion tenge (US$336.7 million) in 2013; that figure has doubled over the past two years.
As a result, the number of scientists nationwide has grown. In 2009, there were 15,800 scientists. Today there are 23,700.
In order to promote the development of links between science and business, the Ministry of Education and Science, with the support of the World Bank, is implementing a project focused on the commercialisation of technology. For these purposes, the Centre for Technology Commercialisation was established. Today, the centre is working on 65 research and development projects and 16 innovative grants totaling 6 billion tenge (US$32.7 million).
The ministry has drafted the law “On the commercialisation of research and development deliverables.” The law provides for incentives for business entities that commercially apply research and development deliverables. The law also provides state support for research and development commercialisation. It will allow for an increase in the effectiveness and competitive ability of research and development projects.
