National Project "Technological Leap through Digitalization, Science, and Innovation"

At the Government meeting on October 12, ten national projects aimed at developing the country's economic and social potential were reviewed, including "Technological Leap through Digitalization, Science, and Innovation," which is funded with 2.3 trillion tenge. The project is planned to be implemented within the framework of the National Development Plan until 2025. The national project was developed by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MDIAI RK) and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MES RK), with B. B. Musin and A. U. Mamin appointed as the head and curator, respectively.

The digitalization sector is the first important component of the "Technological Leap." The state plans to collect taxes from the crypto industry in the amount of 79 billion tenge annually. At the same time, an increase in GDP in the ICT sector to 5% is planned. The creation of 100,000 new jobs (another goal of the project) implies the training of IT specialists and their attraction to work in the digital structures of the state.

In the context of the project, the creation of a secure infrastructure for working in the digital environment has been noted. The state's interest in this issue can be judged by the results of the first reading in the Mazhilis (15.09.2021), where deputies approved the law on protecting children's rights on the internet. Overall, one should prepare for stricter conditions for the operation of social networks and digital platforms.

Investment in the scientific sector and the preparation of additional scientific personnel are the next priorities of the "Technological Leap." It is planned to increase the share of private co-financing in the fields of commercialization of scientific work and the development of applied research (i.e., ensuring the efficiency of business, healthcare, and other areas) to 50%. The project passport also states an increase in the number of scientific workers and researchers to 34,000 people.

Most likely, the latter implies an increase in the volume of funds allocated for education, an increase in the number of grant places in universities, and an increase in scholarships. It should be noted that in 2021 alone, scholarships for bachelor's students were increased by 20%, and for master's students by 15%. The establishment of competitions for funding the best scientific projects may also be included in the future project.

Internet for the masses has become another relevant topic of this project. In the context of the pandemic, internet capacity was insufficient for online educational and scientific activities, as well as for maintaining the functioning of enterprises during quarantine. Therefore, as part of the project, it is planned to increase internet speed in cities to 10 Mbps, and in villages to 5 Mbps. The development of an online government services application for smartphones is also planned to carry out basic operations in a short time (up to 5 minutes).

Thus, miners need to prepare for imminent taxation and structuring of work with the state, new jobs will appear in the ICT sector, specialists with scientific projects will be given the green light and offered financial assistance, and work in the internet space will become more comfortable due to increased internet speed.