Kazakhstan will establish the country’s first science city, Tekhnokala. It will enjoy a special status and be home to advanced technologies and scientific institutions, universities, and tech businesses, the government’s website reported.
The concept of the future science city was discussed at a government meeting on June 20, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.
The idea to create the science city was put forward by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in March. The main purpose is to develop science-intensive production projects in a short time, with an emphasis on the applied effect and commercial return. Key areas of development are new energy and energy saving, biotechnology and food security, new information technologies and AI.
It was proposed to locate Tekhnokala near Almaty on an area of 500 hectares, in close proximity to special economic zones (SEZ) the Park of Innovative Technologies and Alatau, as well as the Institute of Nuclear Physics. About 30% of the territory will be allocated for universities, research institutes, and a technology park.
Zhumangarin commented: “Science must be applied. We are creating a science city in Kazakhstan for the first time. There is nothing new here, there are successful examples in the world. The main thing is to determine with whom from business we are doing this and who will set the task for science. We need a management company that will be responsible for the project’s implementation,” he said.
