The Research Center in Akmola region

The research center in Akmola region, around which backbone enterprises will be created to work with the industries of the region, will play its role in the development of the region, taking into account global trends in industrialization and the tasks that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sets for the Government: development of agriculture, green energy, alternative fuels, improving the environment, solving food security issues, developing biotechnologies. At the same time, the educational part will have to continue working with universities, schools, and train the future generation of specialists for the industries of the region.

Several experimental studies were carried out, joint work of young specialists with scientists, studies of the quality of reservoirs, fertilizers, experiments with alternative fuels, etc.
Proposals for cooperation with the scientific center are already being received from agro-industrial complexes in the region. All industrial enterprises, and there are enough of them in the Akmola region, both in mining, metallurgy, and in green energy, agriculture, are all being studied in other countries. I am sure that they will soon cooperate with this center, given its convenient location.
Also, to transition to processing, our enterprises need new scientific developments, and in order to implement all this, we will attract investments. The analysis shows that there is demand for Kazakh food from Islamic countries, but producers do not have international halal certificates, and this requires halal laboratories. President K.K. Tokayev, within the framework of the session of the Organizations of the Turkic States in November 2023, set the task of strengthening cooperation with Islamic countries on food security issues and increasing exports to these countries. Accordingly, for this purpose, in addition to solving transport and logistics issues, it is necessary to create the necessary infrastructure for the food industry according to halal standards in the country. And one of the main tasks is to create a special “halal” laboratory to check quality. On the basis of the Research Center, it is planned to create an organization for issuing international halal certificates, accredited in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and an appropriate laboratory for testing, checking product quality, and its compliance with international requirements adopted by the Arab League of GCC countries. Such a project in Kokshetau will be convenient for producers and food exporters of this region and the entire northern part of Kazakhstan. Also here, food exporters to Islamic countries from Russia, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries will be able to conduct tests and receive the appropriate international halal certificates. These are the goals of the Research Center - to strengthen the development of the region, provide cooperation and assistance to industries, and commercialization.

I would like to propose creating in Kokshetau an entire infrastructure for the development of modern science, a cluster for the functioning of a scientific base for the work of Kazakhstani young scientists who can help our economic sectors with their scientific research and take part in the development of industries.
Namely: the construction of research centers with advanced technologies and laboratories that are necessary for the country today. Around which system-forming engineering, nanotechnology centers and scientific and technological innovation complexes for the development and commercialization of new technologies will be built.

Thus, on the territory of the scientific base, it is possible to create special economic conditions for companies operating on the territory of the facilities and engaged in research activities. The main goal of the scientific cluster in Kokshetau is research and scientific developments that should be used in the industrialization of the country, helping enterprises in the metallurgy, chemical industry, agriculture, agro-industrial complex, in addressing environmental issues, the development of renewable energy sources, the transition from the extraction of raw materials to deep processing , and these are science-intensive tasks and are impossible without scientific laboratories.

Investments in the creation of modern scientific centers:

First, investments in the development of Biotechnology for the development of agriculture and agro-industrial complex. It is necessary for crisis situations to build a “Unified National Center for Genetic Resources for the Preservation of Crop and Livestock Seeds.” This will be a single center for the preservation of crop and livestock seeds in one building with a modern research center, advanced technologies and laboratories for conducting experiments, scientific developments, interaction with foreign similar centers, and exchange of experience. At the same time, both the state and businesses that need scientific research for development could finance it.

Second,  investments in the development of the biochemical industry to solve environmental issues and develop alternative energy, for example, the production of an alternative type of fuel “biogasoline”. It is necessary to build a research center with advanced technologies and laboratories to conduct scientific tests of biogasoline, for example, like at the BASF petrochemical concern (Germany). Biotechnology can interact with the petrochemical industry; the fact is that with the deep processing of several types of agricultural crops, such as corn, wheat, etc., ethanol can be obtained, which is today exported to other countries.
In Kazakhstan, it can be obtained from low-grade wheat; the fact is that everything valuable in the grain is used for food production, and only the remainder is used for the production of bioethanol. For example, it may be from low grade wheat - 4th and 5th class. This process is as follows: the grain is ground into commercial flour, from which grade A starch and the most valuable product, native gluten, are separated and dried. Starch grades B and C, pentosans, rotten and spoiled grain, everything that is completely devoid of food “attractiveness” is used for the production of fuel bioethanol and biogasoline. This scheme allows the food industry and the biochemical industry to coexist harmoniously, since with such a “balance of power” the market receives a high-quality product from both of these industries.

Why is bioethanol production beneficial for us? Such a project will help solve the issue of improving the environment in our country.

The ecological state of the air basin is deteriorating to a greater extent due to the increase in the number of cars on domestic roads and due to the quality of fuel. Against this background, the sale of environmentally friendly fuel would be one of the measures to improve the atmosphere of the cities of Kazakhstan. Investments in biochemical production are quite natural; today, an alternative source of energy occupies a very serious niche in the economy of any country. Bioethanol is far from new; it has been known in developed countries since 1978. Its use as a five percent additive to gasoline will reduce harmful emissions by up to 50 percent, increase the octane number of the fuel and increase the operating life of engines. This will be high quality fuel that meets the Euro standard, the performance characteristics of which will completely eliminate the possibility of corrosion and carbon formation on the valves.
At the same time, it is possible to comply with the quality specified in the global fuel charter, a twofold reduction in sulfur and benzene emissions, even with a five percent use of ethanol, comply with the atmosphere protection policy (Kyoto Agreement), eliminate carbon deposits and corrosion on valves, and significantly improve the environment.
We should understand that the decisions of global international climate conferences, which raise issues of environmental conservation and the transition to alternative energy sources, will gradually force countries to switch to higher quality alternative fuels that comply with the atmosphere protection policy of the Kyoto Agreement. And we need to gradually prepare for such requirements.

There must be a direct, mutually beneficial and long-term relationship between bioethanol producers, that is, crop processors and oil refineries. By compounding the produced gasoline directly at the plants with bioethanol up to ten percent and the accompanying additives, refiners will be able not only to supply the local market with high-quality fuel that meets Euro standards, but also to expand the supply of biogasoline abroad at high prices.

However, we still have a lot to do on this path. For example, in a number of countries there are tax and customs breaks that help promote biogasoline on the market. In the USA, bioethanol is exempt from federal taxes; in France, for biofuel using ethanol from plant raw materials, a reduction in the internal tax - excise duty - is provided.

Agricultural technology clusters:

By developing science in biotechnology, we contribute to the development of agriculture and rural development, because this solves social issues, and this is business development  in rural areas and employment.
Another undoubted advantage is that agricultural-technological clusters in the regions, which have a full processing cycle, can serve as a kind of “doping” for the development of domestic agriculture, as agricultural territories are developed, new jobs are created that require new knowledge and skills, and additional new ones are created. tax revenues, new innovations will be introduced, exports and investment inflows into the region will increase.
Such a production complex will have unlimited prospects for the development of the region and agriculture, and bioethanol will significantly improve the environmental problem of urban gas pollution. Unfortunately, we export ethanol to other countries.

Third, investments in the development of the Silicon industry. Construction of a research center with advanced technologies and laboratories for conducting scientific research on silicon and its further processing, polymonosilicon, which contribute to the development of industries such as mechanical engineering, construction industry, aviation, IT industry, used in nanotechnology, is the basis for development alternative energy, solar panels, etc.
Therefore, we need to develop the silicon industry and invest in the full production cycle, from mining to semiconductor production. I would like to note that in 2019 the global silicon market was estimated at $6.6 billion; by 2024, according to Express Wire, it will increase to $8.3 billion.

In the Akmola region, a production of solar batteries has been created, where silicon and its semiconductors are the main base for the production of alternative energy. But, unfortunately, silicon semiconductors are imported to us from other countries for our engineering industry, construction industries, solar battery production, etc.

Kazakhstan has good opportunities for the development of its silicon industry; the country is rich in quartz, which is among the top ten in terms of quartz quality in the world. Quartz is available in several of our regions and in the Akmola region; geological exploration is necessary for this region.
We could provide our own domestic market and export its further processing to other countries, creating a silicon cluster in the same region, from the extraction of quartz for the production of silicon to the production of semiconductors, poly, monocrystalline silicon with the organization of a full technological cycle for the production of silicon products with high added value. Thus, the development of the silicon cluster will provide the country with the construction of high-tech enterprises, and their main scientific centers will be located in the city of Kokshetau, in a scientific base with special economic conditions.
As I wrote above, for the development of enterprises in any industry, for their future, for their development, production, transition to deep processing, we need not only government support, but new scientific laboratories and scientific developments that meet the requirements of our industries and meet global requirements.