The final of the DeepTech Bäige competition was held at Nazarbayev University in the Önergy Creative Hub, marking one of Kazakhstan’s key events dedicated to supporting science-driven startups and advancing future technologies.
Organized by Astana Business Campus with the support of the NU Impact Foundation, part of the Nazarbayev University ecosystem, the competition brought together promising teams working across artificial intelligence, biotechnology, energy, medicine, robotics, agrotech, and other deep-tech fields.
The event gathered representatives from the public sector, the international tech community, business, investment groups, experts, and members of the innovation ecosystem. The final opened with a keynote address by Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who emphasized the importance of supporting science-intensive projects, strengthening research capacity, advancing technological entrepreneurship, and creating conditions for young teams developing future-oriented solutions. Participants were also welcomed by Nico Caprez, Vice President for Global AI Infrastructure Growth at NVIDIA. He spoke about the company’s work and its role in advancing artificial intelligence, accelerated computing, and modern technological solutions.
This year, DeepTech Bäige received around 200 applications from across Kazakhstan. Following a multi-stage selection process, 11 finalist projects advanced to the final round. The total prize fund amounted to 16,000,000 tenge, provided with the support of the NU Impact Foundation.
“Supporting DeepTech Bäige is part of NU Impact Foundation’s broader strategy to develop the country’s innovation ecosystem,” said Sayat Nyussupov, Chairman of the Board of NU Impact Foundation. “We invest in an environment where science, education, and entrepreneurship work together. It is important for us to support projects that originate within Nazarbayev University, have a strong scientific foundation, and real potential for scaling and continuation. Platforms like this shape a culture of science-based entrepreneurship in the country, and that is perhaps the most valuable contribution we can make to the next generation.”
Winners of the Final
1st place — AI DRONE (7,000,000 tenge)
A UAV system powered by an intelligent control system based on large language models, demonstrating new applications of artificial intelligence in robotics, navigation, and drone control.
2nd place — ROBIO (5,000,000 tenge)
An AI-powered tactile glove for biomedical screening. The solution captures and analyzes tactile data, transforming it into a tool for early diagnostics and medical assessment.
3rd place — BUNKSENSE (3,000,000 tenge)
An autonomous AI system for monitoring feeding processes in livestock operations, designed to track feed delivery and consumption more accurately and improve farm management efficiency.
People’s Choice Award — From Earth to Orbit (1,000,000 tenge)
A project presenting Kazakhstani battery technologies for sustainable energy systems and aerospace applications.
Finalists were evaluated by an expert jury based on technological novelty, practical applicability, business model, scalability, team strength, and potential impact. This approach allowed judges to assess not only the scientific and engineering merit of each project, but also its readiness for further development, commercialization, and scaling.
