Askar Aryngazin’s research while affiliated with National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other places

The structure and activities of science, technology and innovation organizations should be reviewed in planning for change in accordance with (a) a framework operating model, (b) principles of organizational structures and (c) value chains in order to identify (1) areas of inefficiency, (2) the existence and maturity of chain links as well as (3) gaps with best practice. The operating model of organizations, whose support, development and effectiveness are influenced by legislation, budget and external factors, includes many components, from management policy to culture. Changes in organizational charts together with renaming of departments sometimes look like promising reforms. However, in any case, values brought by organizations should be put on the agenda. Social effect of science, technology and innovation as a contribution to public good or a measure of the social good extend to groups in society or to the whole of society both directly and indirectly, for example, through other values and social mechanisms of influence. In this article, the following typology of values is used in the context of the innovation ecosystem and discussions on public good: internal, economic, social and humanitarian ones. The last three values are often generalized by the term “impact”. Internal values of science and technology express the essence of development that knowledge is built on knowledge, and thereby increase the level and readiness of organizations. We consider links in the value proposition chains produced by these organizations, from planning to legal support management. Current national macro factors that influence them are formulated. The contemporary generation of the innovation ecosystem in the Republic of Kazakhstan is characterized by a lack of a group of elements that determine national internal and external goals, ways to achieve them, as well as monitoring the results of activities and impact. This article aims to formulate and study the linking of management at the level of the principles of the organizational structure and the framework operating model to the values at the level of the introduced typology, which are created in a certain way by science, technology and innovation organizations. In terms of research and practical significance, this allows for a detailed review, identification of areas of inefficiency and gaps with best practice. And then, by formulating and implementing initiatives, this allows to increase their capabilities and effectiveness taking into account the ambiguity and delayed nature of results of scientific, technological and innovative activities, as well as specific external national and international factors that influence organizations. Comparing value chain links to the typology of values, we have identified a specific distribution of their influence of on the types of these values. In terms of academic and theoretical significance, this study also attempts to reveal contradictions between resulting and procedural values in science, technology and innovation organizations by examining the development of value chains and the context of public good.

Temporary distraction from the existing paradigm of the science and technology system in society and formation of new outlines as deployment of a design of the future in the form of determining the state and of managing a broader complex – an innovation ecosystem – are complemented by an understanding of its advancement as transitions to the next generations through the development of several qualitatively different target scenario models. We have discussed the Startup Genome method in the second part of the work. This method is used for ranking and analyzing life cycle phases of startup ecosystems. It has a reduced scope with the tasks we have added within its framework for communication with science and technology organizations. In order to empirically discover or build a suitable for selected stakeholders in the science and technology sector, or even for the entire ecosystem, and a distant framework configuration “according to principles”, “according to forecasts”, “according to Western experience”, “by order”, “according to national goals” and/or “according to a successful historical legacy” one has to show an extreme flexibility in choosing between conservative and radical approaches. However, such an ideal frame as an outline of the future ecosystem is vanishing. In this article, we study the issues of transforming an innovation ecosystem from generation to generation as a series of close framework configurations to the condition of its sustainable self-development as the ultimate goal. We use the comprehensive approach proposed by Martti Launonen and Jukka Viitanen to characterize ecosystems in a specific cross-section and conduct its comparative analysis using the Startup Genome method. We justify the introduction of an additional layer of funding in their scheme and emphasize the special significance and role of central regional organizations, i.e. innovation hubs. Despite the distinct differences between countries, we believe that there is a universal comprehensive framework. This means that by strengthening the current structures and policies in a transformational manner, one can move up the levels of completeness and maturity of the innovation ecosystem.

Shifting from the description of landscape of the science and education system presented in the first part of the work as well as from identification of some values of the governing body (all these are needed for a situational study of trends, strengths and weaknesses), in this article we examine the system in a country case to find measures to overcome its accompanying nature with respect to economy. This is manifested in the diversion of management from what researchers and developers do, what they need, where and what goals to set, how to use the results obtained in the field of science and technology for the benefit of society, economy and person. By connecting the system to key building blocks, as well as functions and values they deliver, of a much broader innovation ecosystem, we are setting its next-generation outlines on the agenda. Systematic implementation of policies is based on a long-term vision, strategy and medium-term plans in the field of science, technology and innovation. Strategic decision-making requires greater clarity of the outlines of the future as a professional, and not just a political, consensus of stakeholders. To this end, taking into account the significantly increased pace and changed mechanism of technological renewal which have an impact on competitiveness, we use the method proposed by Startup Genome for ranking startup ecosystems. This method also identifies four stages of the ecosystem life cycle: activation, globalization, attractiveness and integration. We rely on concepts, historical and current practical examples to give high-level characteristics and formulate criteria and tasks for transformation of the startup ecosystem as a part of innovation ecosystem.

Overcoming stagnation in the scientific and technological system or, more broadly, in the national innovation ecosystem, which can be described as “the right researchers in a faulty system”, implies, as a start, an analysis of the existing structure, status and roles of its key elements. Strategic and framework planning as a way to allocate resources and determine actions to achieve national or regional goals can be undermined if national policies on the legal and regulatory environment, improvements in physical and institutional infrastructure, support programs and funding mechanisms do not provide a push in the right direction or, moreover, it does not develop and implement a comprehensive framework for innovation. By analyzing the traditional aspects of the state and recent changes in the country’s scientific and educational system and relying on independent opinions and a survey of primary sources conducted in 2022, in the context of international experience, we identify its current values and the models that produce these values in a mixed economy.

One of the pressing challenges confronting higher education institutions in Kazakhstan is the enhancement of the quality of academic and research training for students, particularly at the postgraduate level (PhD). This quality is significantly influenced by the research capabilities of academic faculties. The assessment of academic training involves various factors, including the proficiency level in scientific methodologies exhibited by academic staff and postgraduate students. Economics of material-technical infrastructure plays a pivotal, often decisive role in this training, especially in the realm of natural and technical sciences. The primary goal of our study is to gauge the proficiency levels in scientific methodologies among academic faculty, scrutinize economics of material-technical provisioning of higher education institutions, and to formulate pedagogical and administrative recommendations targeted at the academic staff and management of these institutions. In the presented country case study (Kazakhstan), a comprehensive survey and data collection were carried out, involving 23 higher education institutions, 22 research institutes (spanning the years 2019-2021), and about 800 surveyed academic and research representatives in the fields of humanities, natural-technical sciences, and mathematical disciplines. A pronounced deficiency (82%) was identified in the grasp of scientific methodologies within higher education institutions. Marginal variances were observed between universities and research institutes, as well as between natural-technical and social-humanitarian faculties. Alarmingly lower levels of material-technical provisioning per academic faculty member were revealed, ranging from a mere 2% to 75% compared to research institutes. The presented results introduce new quantitative and qualitative data extracted from primary sources. The analysis uncovers both general and specific per-capita characteristics of the research potential of academic faculty and higher education institutions in Kazakhstan. It reveals significant variances in material-technical provisioning, ranging from a mere 2% to 75% when compared to research institutes. We provide evaluations and recommendations for universities to substantially augment the per-capita characteristics of material-technical provisioning at the level of individual research potential. In the economical aspect, we advise to improve workplace facilities and equipment.

Indices are widely included in the tools of modern scientometrics. However, there is no reliable numerical criterion for distinguishing between the assessment of the level of various candidate or PhD dissertations, despite the huge differences, sometimes hundreds times, in impact indicators of journals in which work of different doctorates is published. The article discusses brutto evaluation at an early stage of research activity in a wider discourse using the example of a simple scientometric index of publications, ab-index. Case of its calculation, analysis of its features, role in stimulating and ensuring coverage, connection with research impact, comparison with Hirsch index, and recommendations for its use are given. We provide facts, data, reasons, invite to discussion, and illustrate that some indexes have a useful advisory function only if their status is indicated, their scope of applicability is delicately outlined, their place in the overall structure and processes is indicated, discrimination based on one or another index value is eliminated, and appropriate compensatory or transformational measures are deployed to development of scientific and technological ecosystem, instead ofengaging in the production of more indicators, characterized as a mechanism for suppressing knowledge, technologies, and competencies.