On 1st December 2022, a six-member delegation comprising officials of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Kazakhstan’s Embassy in Islamabad paid a visit to COMSATS Secretariat. Among others, the delegation included: Mr. Ahmed-Zaki Darkhan, Chairman of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (COMSATS Focal Ministry in Kazakhstan); and H.E. Mr. Kistafin Yerzhan, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan.
During the meeting, Mr. Irfan Hayee, Additional Director (Programmes), made a detailed presentation on the ongoing programmes and planned activities of the organization. Other senior officials of COMSATS also delineated on specific activities related to COMSATS Network of Centres of Excellence. They highlighted the active role being played by the Kazakh Government in COMSATS’ statutory bodies and participation of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) – COMSATS Centre of Excellence in Kazakhstan, in R&D and capacity-building programmes. On the occasion, the visiting delegates and participating officials of COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) also highlighted the ongoing projects and activities of the University.
The delegation expressed desire to strengthen cooperative ties between Kazakh research institutions and COMSATS’ Network members, particularly in the areas of IT, Engineering, Biotechnology, Oil & Gas, and Chemicals. The agreed means of cooperation included: networking among experts and young scientists in various fields; collaborative capacity-building events; joint journal publications; sharing of expertise on intellectual property and technology transfer, and joint efforts towards SDGs. It was further agreed that the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education through COMSATS’ platform will provide scholarship opportunities to developing countries, as well as grants for commercialization of research projects, and facilitate exchange of students, researchers and experts.
Furthermore, nomination of another research centre or university to join COMSATS’ Network is also expected to be received. The Ministry also agreed to facilitate MoU signing between CUI and Satpayev University, Almaty. The officials of COMSATS Secretariat and CUI welcomed these proposals and resolved to work closely with Kazakh institutions to facilitate South-South cooperation is science and technology.
