Kazakhstan Invests In Science For Economic Growth

One of the most economically significant and scientifically progressive nations of Central Asia remains a mystery to many people in the western world.

After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republic of Kazakhstan has taken important steps toward creating a modern country, with its institutions well integrated with those in other parts of the world. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded 6 percent in 2013 over the previous year, making Kazakhstan the largest economy in Central Asia, according to the CIA World Fact Book. An important oil and gas producer, it has the second largest oil reserves and production among the former Soviet republics after Russia, per to the US Energy Information Administration.

Meanwhile, the government sees science playing a major role in the nation's progress. In his Address to the Nation in January, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke of the importance of investing in science and "the development of new high-tech sectors."...