Conducting research often involves significant expenses, such as procurement of laboratory equipment, software, materials, and the engagement of research assistants. Additionally, the dissemination of research findings through academic journals and conferences might be costly. Financial support not only helps cover these costs, ensuring that research outputs reach a wider audience, but it also facilitates the education and training of researchers and their teams, upgrading their skills and knowledge to conduct high-quality research. Thus, funding support is essential for researchers to carry out their work effectively, address challenges, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge across various disciplines.
In this section, we share information on the funding schemes available for researchers at Nazarbayev University both internal and external.
Internal Research Grant Programs
Nazarbayev University is committed to fostering a culture of research excellence and innovation. To support this commitment, NU established a range of research grant opportunities that support its faculty members and researchers. These programs are designed to promote cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the advancement of knowledge across various domains. Explore the funding opportunities provided at NU through the diverse grant programs designed to encourage researchers to advance their scientific careers.
Faculty-Development Competitive Research Grants Program (from 2018)
- Supports basic and applied research across all domains
- Encourages NU faculty members to pursue their scientific careers
- Open to faculty members at the Postdoc position, Assistant Professor rank, and above
- Call for applications is announced annually
Collaborative Research Program (2020)
- Enables to build sustainable partnerships with other institutions in Kazakhstan
- Facilitates quality collaborations in emerging and established areas of research
- Open to faculty members at the Assistant Professor rank, and above
- Call for applications is announced annually
International Interdisciplinary Research Program
- Enhances NU’s research international competitiveness, visibility, and recognition
- Designed to develop research infrastructures and Institutes
- Involves participation of international distinguished professors
Discover how these programs can empower your research endeavors and contribute to intellectual merit and societal impact within Kazakhstan. For detailed information on eligibility and application processes, please contact our Pre-award team at preaward@nu.edu.kz.
Government grants
The Kazakhstan government recognizes the crucial role that research plays in driving innovation and progress. To support the nation’s growth and development, the government offers a range of research grant opportunities to support financially scientists, scholars, and researchers to pursue research projects. The grants are designed to cover a wide spectrum of disciplines, from science and technology to social sciences and humanities. The below list of governmental funding bodies periodically announce calls for application. Please contact our Preaward Team at preaward@nu.edu.kz to determine if you are eligible to apply.
- Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan
International Research Grants
International agencies play a major part in advancing global research and development initiatives. They offer a wide variety of research grant opportunities to support innovative projects across various fields. These grants, typically funded by organizations such as the European Commission, the World Bank, or philanthropic foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, address critical global challenges, from climate change and public health to poverty alleviation and technological advancements.
Whether you’re an experienced researcher seeking to address global challenges or an emerging scholar with innovative ideas, exploring research grant opportunities offered by international agencies can be a transformative step in your academic and scientific journey. Please refer to the list of organizations below to check for research funding opportunities. You can contact our Preaward Team at preaward@nu.edu.kz to determine if you are eligible to apply.
In addition, NU is subscribed to the Funding Institutional tool powered by Elsevier – a platform that provides a holistic view of the research funding landscape. It combines over 21,000 active and recurring funding opportunities with information on over 7 million awarded research grants from a wide range of government and private funders around the world. Funding Institutional is available to all people currently affiliated with Nazarbayev University. Please create an Elsevier account using our corporate @nu.edu.kz email address if you haven’t done so already at their website.
Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship research and innovation program, designed to drive scientific excellence and foster innovation across Europe. Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027 and has a budget of over €95 billion, making it one of the largest research and innovation funding programs globally.
Grants for Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines:
- American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) (USA)
- American Councils Research (ACTR/ACCELS Research Scholar Program) (USA)
- American Philosophical Society Grants (USA)
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (UK)
- British Academy (UK)
- DAAD (Germany)
- Economic and Social Research Council (UK)
- European Research Council (EU)
- Fulbright Scholar Program
- Ford Foundation Fellowships (USA)
- Gerda Henkel Stiftung (Germany)
- Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grants (USA)
- IREX
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Japan)
- Leverhulme Trust (UK)
- National Endowment for the Humanities (USA)
- Open Society Grants (USA)
- Social Science Research Council (UK)
- Stanford Humanities Center (USA)
- United States Agency for International Development (USA)
- Volkswagen Stiftung (Germany)
- Wellcome Trust (UK)
Grants for STEM disciplines:
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany)
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (USA)
- Fulbright Scholar Program
- DAAD (Germany)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany)
- Helmholtz Association (Germany)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Japan)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA)
- National Institutes of Health (USA)
- The Royal Society (UK)
- Swiss National Science Foundation (Switzerland)
- Wellcome Trust (UK)
Social Policy Grant
The Social Policy Grant (SPG) designed in accordance with NU Social Policy framework enables new faculty members to conduct preliminary research work, serving as a foundation for their future research proposals. Upon successful completion of the SPG recipients are required to submit a proposal for a follow-up research project. This opportunity is available to all new faculty members, including those in Postdoc positions and above (excluding Instructors), within the first two years of their employment. Notably, the SPG application timeline is not tied to the academic year, applications can be initiated from the actual employment date.
Applications must receive endorsement from a School Research Committee, get the signature of the Dean, and secure approval from the Provost. All issues related to the SPG implementation such as extension, budget revision, completion etc. are handled at the school level, without involvement from the NU Research Council.
For further information please contact the individual school’s research administration manager.
