NU’s (NU) Board of Trustees held a meeting on Feb. 16, which was attended by Chairman of the Board, Assistant to the Kazakh President for Economic Affairs Asset Irgaliyev, as well as Members of the Board, including Chairman of the Kazakh Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms Zhandos Shaimardanov, Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek and Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin.
During the first Board meeting of this year, participants discussed the future development of the university, its research potential, and approved the budget for 2024. The Board members set specific goals for NU: to ensure financial sustainability, integrate science and industry, expand access to scientific infrastructure for the local scientific community, and develop AI.
During the visit, Board members were given a tour around the campus, including new materials and energy storage systems lab, electron microscopy lab, and genome and personalized medicine lab. They also had a chance to learn about the developments of the Institute for Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI), and also met young Kazakh NU researchers.
“NU is a leading research university in Kazakhstan. We need to preserve its research potential and keep developing it. I think that regional universities will also gradually switch to the model of research institutions. We also want to strengthen cooperation between the university and industry,” said Sayasat Nurbek.
Acting NU President Dr. Adesida pointed out that NU places a strong emphasis on research. This allowed us to be in the top 30% of the world’s research-intensive universities according to the Times Higher Education ranking in just 13 years. “We also strive to create the best conditions for attracting young scientists, including Kazakh citizens who received their PhD abroad,” said Dr. Adesida.
At the end of the meeting, the university leadership assured that NU will continue to develop scientific and educational resources, strengthen partnerships with the industrial sector to commercialize scientific developments, and increase its contribution to the country’s economy.
