The culture of innovative thinking should be introduced from educational institutions
The sooner our youth is privy to the essence of ingenuity, openness to innovation and the useful products creation in whatever field, the higher the chance for the technological growth of the country. Following this goal, the universities & colleges can become centers of innovation projects. The importance of science development, innovative discoveries and the creation of a diversified, technological economy was discussed at the conference "Development of university science as a necessary condition for the innovative development of Kazakhstan", held in Almaty on January 20-21, 2022. Sanat Akhanov, Board Chairman of the QazInnovations National Agency, shared his vision during the plenary session. In particular, it was proposed to develop an educational course about innovations on the basis of local universities: “In the programs of educational institutions, it is advisable to organize special courses including following topics: innovations audit, marketing, intellectual property protection, technology transfer, acceleration, etc.” Thus the Universities are become an outpost for inventors, start-ups, and scientists. Here they will be able to enrich their knowledge in terms of launching, commercializing and promoting their developments. Further, in order for innovators/scientists to be able to develop and turn their ideas into a finished prototype (product), it is proposed to create at universities, using the example of international practices, fabrication laboratories – FabLabs . There are similar laboratories in most universities, but they may not always be available to third-party innovators. And most importantly, not everyone knows about the possibility of prototyping in small runs. “Therefore, I urge you to get together and analyze what is missing in our existing FabLab. Let's work it out, create a working group, conduct a detailed audit and form a budget request. After that, we will launch a pilot in one of the country's universities. We are ready to take on this initiative,” said Sanat Akhanov. The Agency, along with Ministry of Digital Development pays great attention to the enhancing of the regional ecosystem. Last year 2022, innovation hubs (business incubators)were successfully launched with acceleration programs around the republic. Among the participants there are also schoolchildren and students of universities and colleges, 7% (500 people) of which went through business incubation, as a result, 100 startup ideas were selected and awarded at the final Demo Day with the involvement of investors. Local business incubators with their own team, a prototyping laboratory and a system of state support measures are useful tools and a good start for those who want to launch their inventions. Universities should actively join this initiative. For its part, the Agency will provide financial and methodological support. The head of QazInnovations also noted one of the most effective opportunities for financing science and innovation sector at universities – Endowment Funds, which are formed from graduates' donations. Even if such organizations exist in some educational institutions, they require a more expanded approach. As a national institution for state policy in the field of innovations, our company is ready for comprehensive work and the provision of a full range of assistance. It should be noted that one of the directions of the Agency is grant financing of innovative projects. An integrated approach in the direction of progressive thinking, will allow innovative discoveries to grow from an idea to promotion to the market, respectively, commercialization. Moreover, in addition to state support in the form of infrastructure and subsidies, attention from business investors is no less important.