Kazakhstan’s innovators get more grants this year

Kazakhstan’s innovators will get more grants this year, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Managing Director of the National Agency for Technological Development Baurzhan Aitleu. “As you know, there were only 4 types of grants last year. This year the law provides for 9 types of grants. The second news is that the grants will be provided on co-financing basis. Last year the state could only provide a grants for the whole project, while this year the initiating company has to raise a part of money on its own. In our view this will have a positive effect on the company’s responsibility and on the quality of the project’s implementation. The third news is that applications will be accepted during the whole year on an ongoing basis. Last year the applications could be filed only once a year and were reviewed only once a year. Besides, all the applications will undergo an independent check,” Aitleu said. According to chairman of the National Agency for Technological Development Aidyn Kulseitov, the increase in the number of grants and in the financing is related to the recently adopted law on state support to industrial activities. “The new system of grants was adopted in line with this law. All the required bylaws have been adopted by the parliament and today we can say that we are launching a new grant program. The new scheme is much more convenient and much more effective and I think that the innovators will take it with great enthusiasm,” Kulseitov added. According to the National Agency, this year the country’s budget will spend 3.5 billion tenge ($23 million) on grants. This year every grant will be different depending on its purpose: - improvement of qualification of the engineering and technical personnel abroad. The state is ready to spend up to 2 million tenge ($13 thousand) for each engineering and technical employee. The grant is limited to 10 employees per one company; - attraction of highly-qualified foreign experts. The state is ready to spend up to 9 million tenge ($60 thousand) per each expert. One company can attract up to 3 such experts; - attraction of consulting, design and engineering companies. The grant amounts to up to 35 million tenge ($233 thousand), depending on the invited organization; - implementation of production management technologies: up to 15 million tenge ($100 thousand). The state budget is ready to finance up to 40% of the costs; - young businessmen can obtain an innovation grant up to 50 million tenge ($333 thousand) for their start-ups. The state budget is ready to fund up to 70 percent of the costs; - commercialization of technologies: up to 30 million tenge ($200 thousand). Up to 95 percent of the costs are covered by the state budget; - industrial research: up to 30 million tenge ($200 thousand). 40 percent of the costs will be covered; - licensing in foreign countries and regional licensing organizations: up to 6.3 million tenge ($42 thousand), i.e. up to 95 percent of the applicant’s costs; - procurement of technologies: up to 150 million tenge ($1 million). By Aidana Ussupova