Today, on June 16, the “China – Central Asia” Forum was held in Astana on the platform of the national company "Kazakh Invest." According to the company, Kazakhstan signed nearly 60 agreements with leading Chinese companies. Among them is the agreement on establishing the International Laboratory for Electrical Automation — a transnational project between Shakarim University and Xi’an Jiaotong University (PRC).
As noted by Shakarim University Rector DumanOrynbekov, “...this agreement has become a vivid example of how the contours of the university map are shifting.”
The ceremony, held at the “Kazakh Invest” venue, marks a new stage in scientific and technological cooperation between the two friendly countries and has become one of the key highlights of the Forum, organized ahead of the Second “Central Asia – China” Industrial and Innovation Cooperation Summit.
About the project “International Laboratory for Electrical Automation”
The new laboratory will be established at Shakarim University, a regional institution in the Abai Region. The project is implemented in partnership with one of China’s leading technical universities — Xi’an Jiaotong University.
The laboratory will focus on applied research in electrical automation, green logistics and smart transport systems, digital solutions, and intelligent manufacturing. It will serve as a core of a transnational innovation model in which the university acts as a scientific-engineering and talent hub integrating education, technology, and industry.
Funding and Infrastructure
The Chinese side is investing over 5.3 billion KZT for equipment, software, staff training, and lab upgrades.
The Kazakh side provides 1,000 m² of infrastructure, administrative coordination, and full integration into the regional scientific and educational ecosystem.
No funding is required from the state budget of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Rationale for Selecting the Region
The Abai Region was chosen for several key reasons: infrastructure costs are 2.5 times lower than in major cities; there is a logistical corridor Semey–Bakhty–Baktu; the potential to create hundreds of jobs; and the transformation of the region into a technological core of Kazakhstan’s eastern corridor.
Expected Effects and Scale of Impact
Annual transfer of more than 10 applied technologies; launch of small-scale innovation enterprises; intellectual property revenues; development of student and research projects; scaling the model to other regions of Kazakhstan.
The project helps retain young scientists in the region and contributes to intellectual sovereignty through localized engineering solutions.
The rector of Shakarim University emphasized:
"Thanks to strengthening cooperation with Chinese partners, Shakarim University is becoming a regional intersection point of science, industry, and education — in infrastructure, finance, and talent. Today’s launch of the model for transnational scientific collaboration starts from the region and focuses on tangible outcomes. This proves that the state’s youth policy is delivering. And the fact that regions like this create environments where knowledge becomes real projects and young people become drivers of change — is clearly demonstrated by Shakarim University."
