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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has voiced strong criticism regarding the performance of Kazakhstan's Science Foundation, accusing it of focusing on superficial activities rather than delivering tangible scientific advancements.

During a meeting with the scientific community at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, the head of state pointed out that despite being granted new functions to stimulate innovation, the foundation often engages in what he described as "imitating work."

Lack of Practical Outcomes

"The Science Foundation was given new functions to stimulate innovation, but in reality, it often engages in imitating work," President Tokayev stated. "Its actual activities require practical scrutiny. Why should we deceive ourselves? Science seems to exist, but it doesn't yield concrete practical results."

He revealed that out of over 3,000 applied scientific projects, only 193 have reportedly yielded beneficial commercial results, with just 29 successfully reaching the market. "This means the industrial impact and return are minimal, and this fact must be acknowledged," the President added.

Inefficient Fund Utilization

President Tokayev also highlighted significant shortcomings in the foundation's financial management. He noted that despite its operational failures, the foundation was slow to return state-allocated funds and did not even approach law enforcement agencies. This inaction occurred even after law enforcement discovered that funds received as grants were transferred to employees of the National Center for State Scientific and Technical Expertise and the Science Foundation itself.

Need for Strict Financial Discipline

The President emphasized the escalating competition among nations in the field of scientific and technological development. He believes that strict discipline and clear priorities are essential for funding science and managing its expenditure effectively.

This was reported by the Infohub.kz information agency.