President of Kazakhstan Enacts Legislation to Strengthen Science and Technology Strategy

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a new law on July 1 that introduces amendments and additions to several legislative acts in Kazakhstan regarding science and technology policy, platform employment, and state control, as reported by Akorda. The law aims to advance Kazakhstan’s national scientific system by defining entities involved in scientific activities, establishing the legal status of the National Academy of Sciences, detailing the functions of the Science Fund, and setting out mechanisms for financing scientific activities.

The legislation addresses strategic, professional, and social issues within scientific activity by closing legal gaps, creating conditions for training scientific personnel, implementing guarantees for the social protection of scientists, and introducing corporate governance. Kazakhstan’s scientific and technological policy will focus on raising the internal level of scientific and innovative work, reducing the innovation gap with global technological leaders, and assimilating new external information for commercial use by Kazakh companies based on the experience of developed countries.

To motivate scientists, the law includes provisions such as purchasing housing or improving living conditions under a joint program by the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Otbasy Bank, following President Tokayev’s instructions. The law is expected to contribute to the development of science and the implementation of technology policy, ensuring the country’s competitiveness through the effective application of scientific achievements and enhancing intersectoral coordination of scientific, technical, and innovation activities.