On October 28, 2025, at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS), diplomas were awarded to ten finalists of the KazISS Young Experts Support Program titled “New Horizons for the Economic and Social Development of Kazakhstan’s Regions.”
The final strategic session was moderated by Aigul Kosherbayeva, Scientific Secretary of KazISS under the President of Kazakhstan. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of the Program as a tool for developing young analysts and noted the significance of involving regional youth in research and expert activities.
With welcoming remarks, Alua Zholdybalina, Deputy Director of KazISS, addressed the Program participants, stressing that the educational project has become an effective platform for professional growth and knowledge exchange between young researchers and experienced analysts.
Zhanar Tulindinova, Head of the Media Projects Department at KazISS, in turn, noted the high quality of the analytical research presented and its practical relevance.
The strategic session was attended by the lecturers and mentors of the Program: Zhannat Dubirova, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Zhaksylyk Sabitov, Director of the Jochi Institute, PhD in Political Science; Kuanysh Zhaikov, Director of the DESHT Research Center; Bakytgul Khambar, Director of the Secretariat for the Sustainable Development Goals at the JSC “Institute for Economic Research,” Candidate of Economic Sciences; Anar Yessengeldina, Acting Director of the School of Digital Public Administration at Astana IT University, Professor, Candidate of Economic Sciences; and others.
The finalists of the Program – Zarina Mukasheva, Nurgisa Kusherov, Kanat Ydyrys, Maiya Gazizova, Zhansaya Temerbulatova, Zhanel Begaliyeva, Arystan Satanov, Imanzhusip Kozhabaev, and Medet Zhandildinov – presented the results of their analytical studies.
The reports of the Program winners were devoted to such topics as the dynamics of transport corridor development in Central Asia and their significance for Kazakhstan, the formation of a nuclear cluster in Kazakhstan, the risks and opportunities of using resources from the National Fund of Kazakhstan amid global economic instability, social partnership as a condition for effective training of mid-level specialists, the quality of secondary education as a key determinant of child well-being and a strategic resource for the sustainable development of Kazakhstan’s regions, and other relevant issues of the country’s socio-economic development.
It should be recalled that the Program, aimed at developing the analytical potential of young researchers, involving them in expert and analytical activities, and forming a new generation of experts, was launched in April of this year. The selection committee approved the participation of 76 applicants.
Over four weeks, the participants completed an intensive educational program consisting of trainings, seminars, and master classes delivered by leading Kazakhstani scholars, experts, and analysts. Then, over the following two months, under the mentorship of experts, the project participants prepared analytical reports, ten of which were recognized as the best. The Program finalists received grants and were included in the KazISS personnel reserve.
