The official opening of the regional foresight center took place in the city of Kostanay – a new platform aimed at strengthening the interaction between science and industry. The project was implemented on the initiative of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan as part of the execution of the instructions of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the development of regional science and its integration with the real sector of the economy.
The event was held at the Smart Center of the Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University with the participation of representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, central and local government bodies, higher education institutions, scientific organizations, large industrial enterprises, and the business community.
The regional foresight center was established as a permanent platform for interaction between science, business, and the state. Its main task is to identify the technological needs of enterprises in the region, orient scientific potential towards solving current production challenges, and improve mechanisms for implementing scientific research results into the real sector of the economy.
During the foresight session, new approaches to the development of domestic science were presented, based on the formation of scientific and technical tasks taking into account the needs of the regions. Mechanisms for open selection and financing of scientific projects were also discussed, and participants were presented with methodological documents regulating the conduct of foresight research, the preparation of scientific and technical assignments, and the organization of competitive procedures.
Special attention was paid to the work carried out in the Kostanay region on the development of science and innovation. A Council for Science and Technology operates in the region, and based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, five priority areas of scientific development have been identified. These include the development of the agro-industrial complex, sustainable environmental management, processing of mineral raw materials and waste recycling, development of intelligent systems in mechanical engineering, information technology, and industrial digitalization.
In addition, a target indicator for the share of expenditures on research and development work is included in the Development Plan of the Kostanay region for 2026–2030. Currently, higher education institutions of the region, together with industrial enterprises, are implementing eight scientific projects with a total cost of over 5.5 billion tenge.
As part of the foresight session, representatives of leading enterprises in the region presented their production tasks and technological requests. The participants' attention was focused on the issues of implementing innovative solutions in the mining industry, commercializing scientific developments, developing carbon farming and digital agricultural technologies, as well as implementing a project for the production of plant-based dry milk substitute.
The second part of the event featured a training seminar for representatives of local executive bodies and businesses. Participants discussed the procedure for providing grants from the local budget, the specifics of conducting competitive procedures, as well as issues of improving the regulatory framework in the field of science financing.
The opening of the regional foresight center will be an important step in developing the scientific potential of the Kostanay region, expanding the interaction between science and industry, introducing innovative solutions into the region's economy, and increasing its competitiveness.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kostanay/press/news/details/1257687?lang=ru