Last year, the Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science in Kazakhstan for 2023–2029 was adopted. In his Address to the people of Kazakhstan, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted on September 1, 2023: “We strive to be part of the open modern world, developing culture, education and science.”
In the implementation of the assigned tasks, the main role is assigned to research universities. Foreign experience shows that world-class research universities specialize not only in training highly qualified specialists, but also in implementing a wide range of scientific research and their further commercialization.
We all understand perfectly well that the main vector for the development of scientific activities of KazNU named after. al-Farabi is to maintain fundamental areas of research, with the simultaneous growth of interdisciplinary and applied research and international projects.
Implementing in practice the model of a research university, based on the results of its fundamental research, forming a mechanism for modernizing the Kazakh economy, KazNU named after. al-Farabi strives to become a “world-class university” to be an innovative center of the economic engine, a national asset and a source of pride for the entire country.
The university operates and develops a unique scientific and innovation infrastructure, which has no analogues in other universities in the country, where an effective technological corridor “from generating an idea to its commercialization” is built on the basis of a cluster approach.
In 2023, the university’s scientific infrastructure was replenished with a new division. The Brain Institute was created, where scientific research of a fundamental and applied nature is conducted at the intersection of exact, natural and social sciences in cognitive, clinical and molecular, computational and applied neuroscience.
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2024. Our university has become the largest university in Kazakhstan, it has come a long and difficult path, but at different stages of its history and development, it has been and remains the university that has successful experience in creation and pride in the results of its many years of activity.
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University began its 90th anniversary with the opening of the Chemical Coating Innovations Research and Production Center to meet demand from the industrial sector in the field of mechanical engineering, automation and energy.
The university cooperates with 55 universities in China, whose professors regularly give lectures. For the first time in January 2024, KazNU held a major scientific and innovation exhibition in the city of Urumqi, People's Republic of China, where more than 300 representatives of industry, universities and research institutes of China participated.
Together with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, on March 27, 2024, the Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technology and Application (Sino-Kazakhstan Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technology and Application) was opened at the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Management.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, a scientific Center for Sustainable Development and Environmental Management (SDRM) was opened on the basis of the university. The new research center includes 10 laboratories.
The work of the center is aimed at achieving the goals of the UN SDGs. The project is being implemented within the framework of the targeted financing program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (STF) “Sustainable development of natural-economic and socio-economic systems of the West Kazakhstan region in the context of green growth: comprehensive analysis, concept, forecast estimates and scenarios.”
The scientific center works in the field of climate and modeling, digital cartography and applied geodesy, GlobalSky (an innovative laboratory for atmospheric research), sustainable tourism, water resource quality analysis, geoinformation analysis of landscape degradation, geodetic and socio-economic research, environmental safety, soil ecology, monitoring environment and sustainable development.
As part of the grant program “Manufacturing Sector Consortiums: Competence Centers,” an Engineering Competence Center in the field of industrial robotics and robotization is being developed, which can be considered as a model factory for Industry 4.0. The center provides a unique platform for startups to explore, demonstrate and test the concept of robotic technology operations.
The university works towards providing scientific services through accredited laboratories. For example, the goal of the Testing Laboratory “Research Institute for Ecological Problems” is to provide high-quality and reliable testing and analysis of products and materials in accordance with international quality standards.
At the suggestion of foreign scientists, this Institute is preparing to open the “Kazakh-German-Chinese International Research Laboratory of Applied Microbiology” in honor of the 90th anniversary of the university.
Evidence of the high scientific status of the university is the participation of the teaching staff in carrying out scientific research in priority scientific areas with the involvement of completely new scientific creative teams. To date, the university is implementing 290 grant funding projects from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 11 program-targeted funding projects from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 48 international projects and 28 research projects within the framework of business agreements with organizations and enterprises. Among them, 119 projects of young scientists and “Zhas Galym”.
Currently, the most important factor determining the competitiveness of an individual state is the effective use of available resources, including young people who are passionate about science and make up the most powerful intellectual potential of the nation.
Undoubtedly, one of the priority areas of the university’s activities is research work. There is a Council of Young Scientists, whose main task is to coordinate and intensify research activities, maintain scientific continuity, and preserve scientific schools and directions at the university. In 2023, about 11 thousand students, master's and doctoral students participated in research work.
Of course, an article in a scientific journal is the main element of the system of modern scientific communication, within which scientific journals act as conductors of university science and scientists to the international level.
In 2023, the KazNU journals of the “Chemical”, “Physical” and “Mathematics, Mechanics and Computer Science” series received the impact factor of the Web of Science database, and added to the indexed list of journals in this database. In addition, two English-language KazNU journals are indexed in this database: “International Journal of Biology and Chemistry”, “International Journal of Mathematics and Physics. This year, the Scopus scientometric database was also replenished with two KazNU journals: “Physical Sciences and Technology” and “Bulletin of KazNU. Series of Mathematics, Mechanics and Computer Science.”
Today there are three scientific journals of KazNU, namely “International Journal of Mathematics and Physics”, “Physical Sciences and Technology” and “Bulletin of KazNU. Series of Mathematics, Mechanics and Computer Science” are indexed by the Scopus database, 5 scientific journals are indexed by the Web of Science database. Of the 17 domestic journals included in the international databases Web of Science and Scopus, 6 are KazNU journals.
Undoubtedly, the result of the intellectual activity of scientists, professors and teachers of the university is the receipt of 497 documents of protection, 40 patents and 457 certificates of registration of rights to intellectual property.
In the context of integration into the global information space, an important role for us in the internationalization of research activities is played by the systematic expansion of international scientific and educational contacts, the use of foreign experience, and interaction with international organizations. Scientific research is carried out within the framework of the international programs Erasmus+ and OSCE, as well as jointly with international foundations and organizations such as Bolashak, American Councils, UN, UNESCO, France Sefacil Foundation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as grants from other leading foreign universities and research centers.
We all understand perfectly well that one of the main indicators of the effectiveness of scientific research conducted at the university is the publication activity of scientists and teaching staff in ranking international publications. In 2023, Kazakh scientists published 6,918 scientific papers indexed in the Scopus database, of which 1,144 were publications by scientists from KazNU. al-Farabi. Thus, the contribution of university scientists amounted to 16.5% of the total number of Kazakh publications. The total Hirsch index of the university’s employees and teaching staff according to the Scopus database as of 2023 is 5,147. The number of university scientists with a non-zero Hirsch index was 1,506, which shows the reorientation of the university’s employees and teaching staff to publications in foreign ranking publications.
The university actively promotes the achievements and results of the scientific activities of its scientists and teachers by holding scientific events that serve as an effective platform for productive dialogue, effective exchange of information, and expanding cooperation between university scientists and both the global and domestic scientific community.
In 2023, the university held 245 scientific events, including 97 international and 28 republican scientific conferences, 43 international and 23 republican round tables, 26 international and 28 republican seminars.
Work continues to establish partnerships with various state-owned industrial enterprises and private business structures. Catalog “Innovative technologies and high-tech products of KazNU named after. al-Farabi" in two parts, including the best innovative developments of university scientists, was sent to various ministries and local executive bodies of the country's regions to search for potential investors and establish cooperation.
Thus, as part of cooperation with the Science Foundation JSC in the field of commercialization of the results of scientific and scientific-technical activities, university scientists took an active part in the specialized dialogue platform “technology commercialization reactor”, where they presented scientific ideas and developments to entrepreneurs and potential investors with the aim of concluding transactions for their further commercialization on the market.
The university management provides comprehensive support to start-up companies through student business incubators at faculties, a university-wide business incubator and a technology park. Every year the university holds a competition for innovative projects of student business incubators. There are more than 20 Start-up companies operating at the university.
On March 31, 2023, the university entered into a cooperation agreement between the branch of Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company JSC KEGOC Almaty Intersystem Electric Networks and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University NJSC. A joint project “Development of criteria for assessing the impact of geomagnetically induced currents on main power lines and oil and gas pipelines” is being carried out. For the first time in Kazakhstan, a prototype of the device was manufactured and a patent of the Republic of Kazakhstan was received for the invention “Device for recording telluric currents and a method for measuring telluric currents.”
Today it is difficult to imagine life without science and its achievements. French chemist and microbiologist, member of the French Academy Louis Pasteur said: “The progress of science is determined by the works of its scientists and the value of their discoveries.” Our university has a unique intellectual potential: hundreds of talented scientists work whose names and achievements have determined the formation and development of domestic science and technology. Science is the basis for the development of a research university.
The high quality and efficiency of research work at the university is ensured by the performers, including: 11 academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 3 - of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 8 of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan; 7 – Corresponding Members of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 603 Doctors of Science, 736 Candidates of Science, 512 PhD.
Thus, the effectiveness of scientific research is determined not only by the content, methods of conducting and implementing the results of this research, but also by the qualifications of the scientist. And it, in turn, depends both on his personal qualities and on the effectiveness of the system of training and certification of scientific personnel.
In 2023, 143 doctoral students defended themselves in the dissertation councils of our university. The topics of dissertations are closely related to national state programs and targeted republican scientific and scientific-technical programs and correspond to the priority directions of the development of science in the Republic of Kazakhstan. There are 18 dissertation councils in 75 specialties/educational programs, 37 areas of personnel training.
The implementation of the postdoctoral program continues; 76 postdoctoral students worked within their scientific areas. The training of postdoctoral students is carried out within the framework of the “Zhas Galym” program and at the expense of university grants.
This year, for the first time, under the program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Otbasy Bank, our 32 young scientists received housing.
Every year, scientists and teaching staff of the university are awarded honorary titles, international and state awards for their contribution to the development of science, are awarded medals based on the results of participation in scientific and technical events, and become winners of various competitions, which confirms their high professional qualifications.
The winners of the “Best Scientist” award in the field of science in 2023 were 2 leading scientists in the field of “Natural Sciences” and 1 in the field of “Humanities and Arts,” as well as 2 laureates of State scientific scholarships for outstanding and 4 young scientists.
Thus, the university is improving a comprehensive system for monitoring the research activities of departments and materially stimulating the publication activity of scientific and pedagogical workers, and has also created a knowledge management system that combines its own and international electronic databases, which will make it possible to actively use it in scientific research.
Successful development of scientific and innovative activities in the light of the implementation of strategic tasks for the coming year such as: concentration of efforts of scientists for the further development of grant and program-targeted financing projects, grants from large international funds and organizations, contractual R&D, improving the quality and increasing the number of publications of scientific results and international ranking journals - will allow you to make the transition to a research university.
I am convinced that KazNU scientists can and should take an active part in building the future of our country. It is necessary to widely involve scientists in solving social and economic problems facing Kazakhstan, which will ultimately contribute to building a competitive knowledge-based economy of the country.
On this significant day, I would like to congratulate the entire scientific community of Kazakhstan on the Holiday - Science Day! I wish that every new day will be full of creative and unique ideas, creative energy and inspiration, new scientific achievements, useful and wonderful discoveries, high results, well-deserved awards!
Zhanseit TUIMEBAYEV,
Chairman of the Board – Rector
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
