Kazakhstan Pushes Science Sector Digitalization

This digitalization drive is a core component of Kazakhstan's broader "Digital Qazaqstan" strategy and the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence," officially launched in March 2026. The initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, with Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasizing the goal of introducing advanced technologies into all economic sectors. This follows earlier reforms, like the 2011 "On Science" law, which first established a system of state scientific and technical expertise. The National Center for State Scientific and Technical Expertise (JSC "NCSTE") manages the electronic submission and review process through its automated information system. This platform is part of a larger GovTech transformation that aims to provide at least 50 government services powered by AI and migrate 30% of government information systems to the new QazTech platform. The country already offers over 1,200 e-government services and ranks in the top 10 globally for online service delivery. The initiative aligns with a wider push towards open-source solutions, supported by a UNDP partnership to assess the readiness of government agencies to adopt and scale open-source software. This move aims to increase transparency, reduce dependence on proprietary systems, and foster a national ecosystem of developers. The plan also involves digitizing 90% of geological data and using AI for agricultural monitoring to increase yields. In Europe, similar GovTech initiatives are encouraged through programs like the Digital Europe Programme, a €7.6 billion fund designed to bridge the gap between research and market deployment of digital technologies. The EU's GovTech Incubator fosters cross-border collaboration between public agencies and private sector innovators, promoting reusable, open-source solutions for digital public services. This collaborative model is seen in projects like the Alzheimer Common European Programme, which uses a unified grant management system across the Netherlands, Germany, and France, segregating data to meet national regulations. A key consideration for public digital services in Europe is accessibility, mandated by the European Accessibility Act and detailed in standard EN 301 549. This requires public sector websites and apps to be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, ensuring they can be used by people with disabilities. Public bodies must provide a clear, detailed accessibility statement for their digital platforms. The adoption of AI in grant management is a growing trend, with AI tools being used to automate proposal reviews, check for compliance, and even generate draft grant agreements. This approach aims to reduce administrative burdens and speed up decision-making. For instance, AI can be trained on compliant and non-compliant submissions to perform initial reviews of reimbursement claims, flagging items for human-in-the-loop verification. The scientific and technical work plan for 2025-2027 in Kazakhstan prioritizes areas such as ecology, energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and space technologies. This focus is backed by the launch of a powerful supercomputer and a national AI platform, which will be accessible to universities and startups to foster local innovation. The government's Tech Orda program also aims to train 20,000 new IT specialists by 2029 through grants to private tech schools.