More than 40 Kazakh researchers, working abroad and representing 12 countries, along with about 100 local experts, took part in the Otandastar Scholars Forum, organized by the Otandastar Foundation at Nazarbayev University (NU). The forum aims to strengthen the involvement of internationally recognized Kazakh researchers in the country’s scientific and innovation agenda and to enhance Kazakhstan’s global image as a nation with growing intellectual potential.
Daniyar Kadirov, chairman of the Otandastar Foundation, highlighted the organization’s ongoing research, conducted for the second year, has helped identify ways to engage Kazakh professionals working in Germany, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Malaysia and Singapore in national development.
“We see strong interest from those willing to launch a business, implement projects or share their professional expertise,” he said.
The opening session featured remarks from Aibek Smadiyarov, chair of the Foreign Ministry’s International Information Committee, Senator Galiaskar Sarybaev, Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education Talgat Yeshenkulov, and NU President Waqar Ahmad.
“We as a university have also been working hard to attract Kazakhstani origin faculty to the university. Today, about 30 percent of our faculty are Kazakhstani, and we plan to raise this number to 40 percent,” NU President Waqar Ahmad said.
He highlighted NU’s role in building long-term international research partnerships through joint projects and initiatives, including the “100 Scholars” program and the Qazaq International Science and Technology Association. Over the past 13 years, NU has attracted more than 100 leading foreign scientists to Kazakhstan, including Dos Sarbassov, Nurxat Nuraje, Suragan Durvudkhan, Anara Sandygulova, Zauresh Atakhanova and others.
“I’m also delighted about a young scholar here, currently based at the University of Oxford, and I’m really pleased that he is going to be joining us next month as a senior research fellow (Nursultan Mussakhanuly will join the Renewable Energy Laboratory). We’re doing our part, and our doors are always open for collaboration, research, teaching, mentorship and shared innovation,” Professor Ahmad told participants.
He added that NU actively shares its research infrastructure with scholars from other Kazakh universities and continues to strengthen the national research ecosystem. This year alone, the NU campus hosted about 3,000 leading researchers from around the world who participated in 20 major academic conferences at the university.
During the Otandastar Scholars Forum, participants presented research in artificial intelligence, medicine, green energy and quantum technologies, and discussed new avenues for collaboration. Their proposals and conclusions will be included in the forum’s final report.
