Science and Technology in Kazakhstan Current Status and Future Prospects (2007) / Chapter Skim
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1 Context for Science and Technology Activities in Kazakhstan
1 Context for Science and Technology Activities in Kazakhstan
Pages 9-23
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1 Context for Science and Technology Activities in Kazakhstan This chapter addresses recent developments that provide a context for considering specific science and technology (S&T) issues in subsequent chapters.
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countries, S&T should involve interconnected national and international systems of activities that encourage the acquisition and generation of important knowledge and the application of this knowledge to improve the quality of life and the security of populations.1 Thus, S&T is integral to the capacity of the public and private sectors in Kazakhstan to: • provide technical services that support economic and social development -- such as the provision of health care, education, agriculture extension, transportation, communications, maintenance and upgrading of water and sanitation facilities, management of natural resources, and energy and environmental services; • assess the economic and technical merits of technologies being considered for use and within that context carry out research, development, technology transfer, technology adaptation, and technology application activities; • produce industrial goods and agricultural products based on technologies and modern management methods that are well suited to the local environment; • prepare and evaluate implementation of economic, trade, industrial, agricultural, health, educational, environmental, and other policies that have technical dimensions or that influence the acquisition and use of technical resources; • participate in international trade negotiations, environmental treaty discussions, and other types of policy dialogues involving technical issues of political, economic, and social importance; • conduct programs that heighten public awareness of the potential and limitations of modern technologies to improve the well-being of the public; and • develop an appropriate physical infrastructure, a robust human resource base, and a network of educational and training institutions to support the foregoing activities.2 Within this broad context, the primary focus of this report is on research, development, S&T services, and technology transfer and on the S&T dimensions of higher education. 1National Research Council, The Fundamental Role of Science and Technology in International Development, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2006, p.
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In addition, the committee concurs with the following conclusions of the World Bank: • Kazakhstan emerged from the Soviet Union with a strong cadre of scientific leaders in high-technology fields such as atomic energy and space research and a well-educated workforce. Since the early 1990s, a number of key scientific researchers have left the country or have shifted to more lucrative business careers, the average age of the remaining scientific workforce has risen significantly, and educational standards have eroded considerably.
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Against this overall background, the challenge for the government is to devise policies and programs that will encourage development and use of S&T more effectively for economic and social progress. Opportunities for industrial development based on advanced technologies have received most of the recent attention of the Kazakhstani leadership when addressing the upgrading of the S&T infrastructure.
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Abdymomunov, MES conference, "Future of Science and Technology," Astana, September 25, 2006. He stated that the following criteria, which had been developed by the World Economic Forum, were used in this rating: transfer of technology, capabilities of engineers and scientists, technology index, capabilities of specialists providing scientific and technical services, technological readiness, protection of intellectual property, quality of scientific research institutes, and availability of venture capital.
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They include changes in the legal and normative basis for scientific and technical activity, modification of the system of state management of scientific and technical development, and reform of the basis for financing research, development, and design activities. From 2007 to 2013 the proposed State Program is to be implemented with a focus on (1)
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For example, the requirement that multinational companies operating in Kazakhstan must spend a certain portion of their investments for acquiring local content of the equipment and services being used in the country provides a mechanism to link these companies with local S&T institutions. One Western oil company is considering investing in local R&D to help perfect corrosion-resistant drilling equipment suitable for extracting offshore oil with high sulfur content.
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Within the organizational framework of MES, an interagency science committee that reports to the commission is to provide a single focus for government approval and financing of R&D activities. The new Science Fund will support applied R&D activities with an emphasis on projects involving matching funds from industry ranging from 25 to 75 percent of the costs of projects.
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Apparently, MES intends to ensure that the applied research programs that it supports are among the best in the country while preserving all basic research programs, even those of secondary quality. The committee recommends that MES distribute the majority of funding for both basic and applied research through competitive mechanisms, targeting particular fields of basic science for support as necessary to ensure a broad base of science capabilities.
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The government should be more precise when discussing S&T expenditures, R&D funding, and levels of support for innovation, recognizing that services that extend far beyond R&D are a very important S&T activity. The definitions developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development should be helpful in this regard.10 INTERESTS OF THE RELEVANT MINISTRIES While the Supreme Science and Technology Commission will be responsible for oversight of a variety of interrelated activities of various ministries, many 10See www.oecd.org/topic/0,2686,en_2649_37417_1_1_1_1-37417,00.html.
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They should work with nearby governmental bodies and with research and education institutions to enhance their international competitiveness. However, the convergence of common interests of individual specialists and their organizations, rather than centrally determined geographic locations, should be the primary factor in determin 11When the Academy structure was changed, there were more than 40 institutes that were transferred to MES.
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At the same time, few Kazakhstani specialists have confidence in adopting Russian approaches in order to achieve technological competitiveness. As to industrial development, in the past about 50 major Soviet enterprises sustained much of the industrial technology base of the country.
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• At the level of selection of projects to be financed by MES, an expert council with 50 percent foreign specialists is being organized. • As to the World Bank proposal for a program to award research grants, MIT is organizing a 100 percent international expert panel to recommend recipients of grants who would establish groups of excellence.14 13Information provided by NCSTI, September 2006.
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According to Kazakhstani officials, the purposes of its policies are to strengthen the nation's international economic competitiveness, improve the social and economic situation for the country's population, and enhance at home and abroad the prestige of S&T practitioners and researchers who can increasingly play an important role in Kazakhstan's social and economic development. To this end, the policy thrusts can be categorized as follows: • Encourage through economic incentives investments in Kazakhstan by domestic and foreign companies that rely on modern technologies.
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Details of how this approach is carried out are described throughout the remainder of this report. As to basic research, which should be an essential component of the educational process and the foundation for applied activities, the situation in Kazakhstan in many fields lags behind international developments.
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