London hosts roundtable on interaction between science, industry and businesses

LONDON. KAZINFORM - "Effective interaction between science, industry and businesses" roundtable was held as part of the cooperation programme between the Kazakhstan PhD Association in the UK and the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund on 24 November 2018, Kazinform has learnt from the Kazakh Embassy in London.

Chairman of the Board of Tau-Ken Samruk National Mining Company Kanat Kudaibergen, representatives of Samruk-Kazyna, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UK, the Centre for International Programmes, and the British-Kazakhstan Society took part in the event. The roundtable was devoted to discussing cooperation between businesses and young Kazakh scientists, which will potentially lead to the implementation of projects aimed at supporting Kazakhstan's sustainable development.



Most Kazakh PhD students in the UK study technical sciences that are of great importance for the Kazakh economy, such as chemistry, engineering, mathematics, energy, medicine, geology, and information technology, to name a few. Young scientists spoke about the British universities' experience of cooperating with such companies as Rolls-Royce, Ford, Adidas, and others. In the UK, doctoral students in various fields of science conduct research projects with the help of investments from major industrial companies, including Shell, Michelin, and others, thereby directly introducing research developments into the industry. The cooperation proposed at the roundtable will not only be useful in terms of developing science in Kazakhstan, but will also generate more income for industrial companies by creating their own technologies, products and knowledge.



Kudaibergen set specific tasks for young Kazakh scientists to improve future projects:



• mathematical modeling of reporting and business processes, high-quality digitisation and systems automation;



• chemical research methods; in-depth analysis of rare earth metals and waste recycling in mining deposits;



• attracting high-quality strategic investment to the Shalkiya polymetallic deposit.



The meeting also discussed possible internships for undergraduate and graduate students at Samruk-Kazyna and its portfolio companies, as well as visits by PhD students to mining deposits in Kazakhstan.



Programme Coordinator and Managing Director of the Centre for Social Cooperation and Communications of Samruk-Kazyna Sandugash Iskendirova noted that the Centre will be used as a platform for cooperation between the Fund and the Kazakhstan PhD Association in the UK.



In the spring of 2019, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UK, together with the Fund and the Association, plan to hold a job fair for Kazakh students studying in the UK. The event will provide the students with the opportunity to explore the proposals on the Kazakh labour market, as well as receive first-hand information on what they need in order to be successfully employed. For Kazakh companies, the upcoming fair is an opportunity to attract the most successful graduates of top British universities. Thus, the event is expected to contribute to the inflow of qualified specialists back to Kazakhstan and to their successful employment.