VZCZCXRO5817
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK
RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #1696/01 2711032
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281032Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6425
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE 1985
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1354
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2053
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1005
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1540
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 1416
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USTRANSCOM SCOTT AFB IL
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 1898

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001696 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, ECA, OES/PCI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON SENV SOCI KPAO KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  NEW SCIENCE STRATEGY FACES CONSTRAINTS 
 
REF:  ASTANA 0664 
 
ASTANA 00001696  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  In a new strategic plan, Kazakhstan's Academy of 
Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Science identified future 
scientific research priorities in the areas of energy, 
biotechnology, mining and metallurgy, renewable energy, information 
technology, and agriculture.  To achieve its strategic goals, the 
government plans to award 30,000 university scholarships, acquire 
modern laboratory equipment, and establish a National Biotechnology 
Center in Astana.  The government also plans to create 
high-technology parks that combine both scientific research and 
commercial production, helping move scientific research from the 
laboratory to the marketplace.  Kazakhstani science officials also 
expressed hope that Kazakhstan and the United States would soon sign 
a bilateral science and technology agreement, which would facilitate 
collaboration on a number of projects.  END SUMMARY. 
 
AN ACADEMY UNDERGOING PHYSICAL AND METAPHYSICAL REPAIRS 
 
¶2.  Getting inside the Academy of Sciences in Almaty is harder than 
getting inside an exclusive New York City nightclub.  You need to 
know someone in order to get past the guard, but the hardest part of 
all is finding the entrance, since the building is surrounded by 
metal grate fencing.  The Academy has been under reconstruction for 
three years, with no visible improvement and no estimated completion 
date.  Regional Environmental Officer (REO) could not detect any 
visible change to the 1950s-era facade since a previous visit in 
1993, nor detect any improvement to the antiquated Academy Library. 
The Chief Librarian led us through a labyrinth of halls with exposed 
heating pipes and electrical wiring screaming out "fire hazard." 
 
¶3.  The Head of the International Relations Department, Professor 
Bakhtiyar Mynbayev, and the Chief Scientific Secretary, Academician 
Urishbay Chomanov, said the Academy is developing a new national 
strategy to promote scientific development in Kazakhstan.  Mynbayev 
complained that since independence, students have chosen to study 
finance or business in order to make money, but he said more 
students are now returning to science as job prospects improve.  He 
said that 120,000-150,000 Kazakhstani students graduate from high 
school each year, of whom more than 30,000 receive 
government-sponsored university scholarships.  Of these, 3,000 study 
abroad, after which they are obligated to return to Kazakhstan to 
work.  He laughed when asked how long they must work in Kazakhstan 
after graduation, because, "Kazakhstanis are extremely patriotic and 
will always choose to live and work in Kazakhstan!"  However, he 
said that in general, scholarship students are required to work for 
five years after returning from abroad. 
 
¶4.  Mynbayev said the Academy is consulting with the Ministry of 
Education and Science and other relevant ministries to determine 
Kazakhstan's major scientific priorities, which tentatively include 
energy, biotechnology, mining and metallurgy, renewable energy, 
information technology, and agriculture.  He said it is not a 
coincidence that these priorities also coincide with the main 
sectors of Kazakhstan's economy, because science is seen as a tool 
to further and enhance Kazakhstan's economic development. 
 
INADEQUATE LABS AND LACK OF ENGLISH 
 
¶5.  Chomanov said space science and nanotechnology were originally 
priority areas for scientific research, but the government and the 
Academy have had to scale back their initial ambitions in these 
areas and adopt "more realistic and pragmatic goals."  (NOTE: 
Although a draft budget for 2010-2012 allocates 56.7 billion tenge 
($378 million) to develop Kazakhstan's space industry over the next 
three years, the budget earmarks no funds to send a Kazakhstani 
cosmonaut to the International Space Stations (ISS).  As reported in 
reftel, the planned flight of a Kazakhstani astronaut to the ISS 
this September has been delayed indefinitely, due to budget 
constraints.  END NOTE.)  Chomanov said Kazakhstan's laboratories 
are inadequate to carry out advanced research in a number of areas, 
such as nanotechnology or biotechnology.  He said modern laboratory 
equipment is often prohibitively expense, noting that some 
specialized instruments, such as a nanotechnology scanner microscope 
with a 300,000x power magnification, cost several hundred thousand 
 
ASTANA 00001696  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
dollars each. 
 
¶6.  Nevertheless, Chomanov said the government is committed to 
upgrading its laboratory equipment and infrastructure.  For example, 
the National Biotechnology Center in Astana has grown to include 
five national laboratories and 15 university affiliates around the 
country.  In addition, Kazakhstani scientists regularly collaborate 
with laboratories abroad, although their ability to do so is 
constrained by their inability to read or speak English.  Chomanov 
acknowledged that this restricts their ability to work in Western 
countries, publish in peer-review journals, and remain current with 
scientific research.  Mynbayev said the Academy would welcome 
English-language training for Kazakhstani scientists. 
 
SCIENCE FUNDS AND TECHNO-PARKS 
 
¶7.  Mynbayev said Kazakhstan supports scientific research through 
the Science Fund, the Innovation Fund, and regional science funds. 
He explained that these resources help a project move from the 
laboratory to the market, with results and products ready for 
commercial application.  Mynbayev, a veteran administrator schooled 
in the Soviet educational system, observed that capitalist countries 
invest in science and technology parks ("techno-parks") that 
facilitate innovation and commercialization.  Unfortunately, he 
said, Kazakhstan's laws, particularly on the protection of 
intellectual property rights, are "not developed enough" to enable 
the creation of techno-parks.  Mynbayev suggested that Kazakhstan 
has the potential to develop techno-parks in agriculture, oil and 
energy, and metallurgy.  He lamented, however, that while Russia has 
created techno-parks for small- and medium-sized enterprises, 
Kazakhstan does not yet have this capability.  Nevertheless, 
Mynbayev said that Kazakhstan plans to establish 50 "techno parks" 
over the next five years, and would welcome support from the United 
States and Europe. 
 
SEEKS U.S. HELP AND COOPERATION 
 
¶8.  Mynbayev said he hopes that Kazakhstan and the United States 
will soon sign a bilateral science and technology agreement, because 
it will make research cooperation with U.S. partners much easier. 
He said that Kazakhstani scientists are eager to cooperate with 
American partners on a range of projects, not only in pure science, 
but also in efforts to bring research out of the laboratory and into 
the marketplace.  He hopes that the United States can help 
Kazakhstan increase its understanding of how cutting-edge science is 
conducted in an interconnected, globalized world and said the 
Academy strongly supports scientific exchanges with U.S. educational 
institutions. 
 
¶9.  COMMENT:  The government looks to the Academy of Sciences, 
handicapped with aging infrastructure, outdated equipment, and 
staffing shortages, to boost economic development in key sectors. 
Despite these constraints, we believe that there are commercial and 
research opportunities in Kazakhstan for U.S. companies, and 
recommend they consider scientific partnerships with the Academy. 
END COMMENT. 
 
HOAGLAND