Kazakhstan should boost science career attractiveness, KISTEP President Youngah Park

Kazakhstan pursues today the policy of active implementation of innovations, pays great attention to transfer of technologies from abroad. President of Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) Youngah Park told Kazinform about the prospects for the development of high technologies in Kazakhstan and world tendencies. Youngah Park will take part in the IX Innovation Congress as part of the Astana Economic Forum ahead. Have you ever participated in the Innovation Congress in Astana? It's my first visit to Kazakhstan. I am really grateful for the invitation to attend the Innovation Congress. I am looking forward to receive more information about the industrialization programme and science and technology policy of Kazakhstan. I believe my participation in this event is a chance to establish ties and seek for opportunities for potential cooperation between Kazakhstan and KISTEP. What do you know about innovation development of Kazakhstan? I think, one of Kazakhstan's main thrusts aims at promoting innovations as the key factor of its economic development and growth. I know there are many institutions and progarmmes purposed to encourage innovations. Besides, new initiatives were taken to create innovation infrastructure. What Kazakhstan should avoid on the path of its industrial development? I'm not sure what country Kazakhstan could be compared to, but if you see various economic development models, the Dutch disease is probably the very model Kazakhstan should avoid. The above-mentioned economic model is used to determine the phenomenon specific to a country challenging a raw material boom. It immediately induces overseas investment accompanied by large inflows of hard foreign currency that leads to reducing domestic goods competitive ability versus foreign goods resulting in decrease in exports and increase in imports. Since gaining its independence back to 1991 Kazakhstan has demonstrated high economic growth and this trend grew stronger thanks to oil and gas as well. Despite the raw-material oriented economy, I am confident, that the Government of Kazakhstan has already adopted various economic diversification programmes. What approaches should Kazakhstan take for professional training of experts necessary for realization of industrial and innovation development tasks? Your Government understands significance of human resources development essential for shaping the environment in an effort to spur development of innovations. However, it seems that the sphere of innovations lacks of highly skilled working power and experts. That's why it is necessary to pay greater attention to education and professional training in the sphere of innovation policy. It is important to raise science carrier and research attractiveness and satisfy growing demand in the sphere of technologies transfer. Could you tell us about Korea's practice in realization of technology programs? As you know, Korea's development for the past 50 years was impressive, it made great strides. The country's economy keeps on growing by 7% a year. Our country is one of few countries to go through the full cycle of innovations developing at a high speed. Lack of natural resources let innovations became essential for the country's economy. The Government encouraged development of science research and supported startups. The 3rd science and technologies strategic plan of Korea launched last year aims at realization of the following strategies: first of all, widening of national investments and raising their efficiency, secondly, development of the national technology strategies, in-third upgrading long-term capacities of inventions, in-fourth encouraging new industries, and fifthly creation of workplaces in the sphere of science and technologies. What are the prospects for innovation cooperation between Kazakhstan and Korea? As I already said, Korea is one of the few countries to go through the full cycle of its innovation development, so, I guess there are lots of venues for our fruitful cooperation. KISTEP and National Agency of Technology Development and Foresight Research have been working in close cooperation over the past three years and we hope to realize more joint projects to benefit both organizations and both nations.