Scientific Research Initiatives
In December 2022, the Centre underwent the re-registration procedure on the site of the Astana International Financial Centre, transforming into a non-profit organisation, the Samgau Centre for Scientific and Technological Initiatives (CSTI).
The goal of the Centre is to support research and innovation activities through the formation of an efficient and transparent ecosystem that promotes the development of a knowledge-intensive economy and improves the well-being of the population.
The organisation aims to create a reliable system for the selection and implementation of research and innovation projects, ensuring transparency and understandability of processes at all stages – from application to project completion.
The Centre develops mechanisms for effective interaction between the academic and innovation community and industry and works extensively to concentrate the country's R&D and intellectual potential to solve advanced technological problems aimed at optimising production processes.
Being a part of the National Innovation and Research System, the Centre builds interaction with government agencies, development institutions, research organisations and universities, industry and financial institutions.
Thus, a unified R&D policy of the Fund is developed to achieve long-term economic sustainability and global competitiveness by the companies.
Since December 2023, subsoil users of the Fund have been funding R&D through CSTI. The new selection and funding mechanism based on the "single window" principle has become a key tool for optimal and transparent allocation of resources within the Fund.
In 2024, 57 applications for research and development were considered. In 2024, 11 meetings of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Fund were held, following the results of which 24 promising projects were submitted and approved.
Four project financing agreements were concluded:
- Improving the quality of recycled water supply, reclamation of oil-contaminated lands of Atyrau Refinery LLP (Atyrau Refinery LLP);
- New insecticidal formulations based on products of industrial (sulphur-containing) waste utilisation (Samruk-Kazyna Ondeu LLP);
- Study of the effectiveness of using nonexplosive sources of elastic wave excitation and machine learning algorithms in seismic exploration to detail the structure of the Earth's crust and reduce the ecological impact on the environment (Karazhanbasmunai JSC);
- Research and development work to create a complex and innovative technical solution for gas treatment and processing (JV Kazgermunai LLP).
PLANS FOR 2025
In 2025, several technology sessions are planned to be held jointly with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan at NC KazMunayGas JSC, NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC, NAC Kazatomprom JSC, KEGOC JSC, Tau-Ken Samruk NMC JSC and Samruk-Energy JSC.
Within the framework of innovation and technology diagnostics, it is planned to conduct at least 5 innovation and technology diagnostics for subsidiaries and affiliated organisations of the Fund's portfolio companies, identify and map problematic issues and form technological tasks.
It is planned to finance at least 5 projects jointly with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan for a total amount of about KZT 1.5 billion.
In addition, CSTI is planning a modular training on R&D in 2025, which will reach about 70 participants.