Sayasat Nurbek visited Belgium’s main universities — Ghent University and KU Leuven — the place he reviewed the cutting-edge advances of Belgian scientists in the fields of uncommon earth metals and semiconductors.
He additionally met with representatives of EU establishments: the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European External Action Service.
For the primary time, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education met with European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva. This high-level engagement demonstrates the European Union’s curiosity in cooperating with Kazakhstan in science and better training.
“During this visit, we met with teams from IMEC, KU Leuven, and Ghent University — universities and research hubs that shape the global agenda in microelectronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, critical materials, engineering technology, and applied mathematics,” Sayasat Nurbek stated.
IMEC, the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre in Leuven, brings collectively over 5,500 researchers and engineers from 95 nations yearly. KU Leuven constantly ranks amongst Europe’s main universities in scientific publications, innovation, and expertise switch. Special consideration was given to cooperation alternatives with KU Leuven on uranium, important uncooked supplies, and uncommon earth steel extraction applied sciences.
Particular emphasis was positioned on arithmetic as the muse of synthetic intelligence, modeling, engineering calculations, and deep-tech options. In this context, the perimeters explored prospects for collaboration with the Institute of Mathematics of Kazakhstan’s Science Committee, in addition to with Ghent University on launching a mirror lab in Kazakhstan.
“In other words, this means long-term scientific and technological partnerships, joint research, training a new generation of engineers and scientists, developing applied science, and integrating our universities and technology teams into international consortiums. Presently, over 620,000 students are studying in Kazakhstan, and expanding international scientific cooperation is becoming a strategically vital priority,” Nurbek acknowledged.
He famous that semiconductors, synthetic intelligence, important supplies, and deep-tech at the moment are turning into the muse of world competitiveness. According to worldwide analysts, the worldwide AI market will exceed $1 trillion in the approaching years, and the semiconductor trade might attain $1 trillion by 2030.
“Therefore, it is especially important that Kazakh researchers, universities, and startups have access to advanced laboratories, international programs, and joint R&D projects. We also discussed opportunities for Kazakh organizations to participate in Horizon Europe — the European Union’s largest research program, with a budget of over €95 billion for 2021–2027. This unlocks new opportunities for our scientists, doctoral students, engineers, and technology entrepreneurs,” the minister underscored.
Kazakhstan additionally offered to European companions the potential of Alem AI as a platform for growing Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem — from training and science to startups, industrial options, and worldwide expertise cooperation.
“Today, over 20 Kazakh universities have integrated AI-related disciplines in their curricula, and such international partnerships help strengthen applied AI projects, research teams, and tech startups. Kazakhstan is interested in moving from ad hoc cooperation to sustainable partnerships, joint laboratories, research programs, academic mobility, and high-value-added technology projects. I am confident that it is through science, engineering education, mathematics, artificial intelligence, and international cooperation that the new knowledge economy is being built,” Sayasat Nurbek stated.
KU Leuven Professor Peter Tom Jones famous that Kazakhstan is a rustic with huge potential because of its wealthy useful resource base, present firms, and universities.
▶” allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”>
According to him, Europe ought to develop cooperation with Kazakhstan extra actively. Peter Tom Jones highlighted that hydrometallurgy, which is crucial for separating important metals and extracting added worth from metallurgical manufacturing, is particularly necessary from their perspective and is the realm the place they’ll really cooperate with Kazakhstan.
In Brussels, Saysat Nurbek additionally met with Kazakh scientists and researchers working in Europe. The occasion was organized on the Embassy of Kazakhstan by the Qazaq International Science and Technology Association (QIST) and Qazsociety Association of Kazakh Students in Belgium, collectively with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Discussions targeted on strengthening ties with the scientific diaspora, sharing experience, and launching joint initiatives.
As reported earlier, Kazakhstan is strengthening cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.