The Goal is to Enter the top 100 Best HEIs in the World

At the meeting of the Academic Council of Al-Farabi KazNU, a new program for the strategic development of the University until 2025 was widely discussed in the context of its transition to a non-profit joint stock company with 100% state participation in its charter capital. The strategic goal of the program is to transform KazNU into a research university and enter the global ranking of the top 100 HEIs in the world.

The development strategy for the next five years is being intensively discussed among the staff of the leading university of the country with the involvement of experts. As Rector of KazNU Galym Mutanov noted at the meeting, increasing global competitiveness requires new conceptual approaches in all multifaceted activities of the university. In this regard, the advantages of the form of a non-profit joint stock company as a subject of market economy should be fully used. The freedom to form the trajectories of educational programs, property and financial asset management opens up new opportunities in the development of the university in a globalizing market and high competition.

The strategic plan provides for the diversification of educational services through the introduction of new educational technologies based on the application of advanced IT technologies and the expansion of target groups of service recipients, including inclusive education. The training of internationally competitive and qualified specialists with a high level of competence remains a priority for the University. A new impetus will be given to the expansion of academic mobility and the dual degree program with the leading universities in the world.

The key components of the digitalization of the university have also been identified - the introduction of cloud technologies in the automation of activities, smart technologies and Big Data in the management of campus infrastructure, as well as the development of outsourced IT services. The work of scientific and educational centers of world-class high-tech companies operating in KazNU will be aimed not only at training specialists, but also at developing joint products and their commercialization.

The development strategy will include further internationalization of education and the opening of university branches abroad on the basis of the Al-Farabi research and education centers that are already operating in 12 countries. It will allow to expand export of educational services, and Al-Farabi centers, as an instrument of «soft power», will contribute to strengthening cultural influence and promotion of interests of Kazakhstan in the world. In addition, attention will be paid to creating favorable conditions for attracting leading foreign scientists in the research activities of the university, as well as increasing the number of foreign students up to 25%.

An important part of the program is a set of measures to create a world-class university campus and attract investments, including foreign ones, in the development of innovative infrastructure. Within the framework of implementation of the third stage of development of KazGUgrad, a 50% increase in the total area of all buildings and structures of the university is planned. A new 1250-seat high-comfort hostel, a media center, social and educational buildings will be commissioned.

As part of the transformation of KazNU into a world-class research university, the important task of integrating education, science and production and introducing the results of scientific developments into the real sector of the economy is set. In this regard, a large-scale project will be implemented to create a scientific and technological Al-Farabi valley designed to become a new effective model of science and innovation management, a point of growth in the innovative economy of the country. This project was approved by Elbasy N. Nazarbayev and supported by President Tokayev.

The first step will be the launch of the international IT cluster «Alliance of New Silk Road Universities» on the territory of KazNU campus, uniting more than 150 leading universities of the world. The core of it will be a supercomputer, which will enter the top 500 in the world in terms of performance.

One of the important components of STV will be the medical and biological cluster. A modern 800-bed policlinic and a research laboratory will be built on the basis of a public-private partnership. In cooperation with leading foreign universities and partner clinics, it is planned to train highly qualified medical workers, implement research projects, transfer medical technologies and introduce innovations. In addition, STV will develop an innovation cluster that will combine such scientific areas as nanotechnology and new materials, nuclear, space and telecommunications technologies, robotics and interdisciplinary humanitarian research.

Along with the development of the high-tech component of the university, the program provides for the strengthening of the spiritual and moral platform aimed at forming competitive specialists as patriots of the country and citizens of the world on the basis of high human spiritual and moral values. The work in this direction will be based on the development model of the new generation university «University 4.0», which KazNU presented at the UN headquarters in New York, and is recommended for wide dissemination at the international level. KazNU will continue implementing projects to strengthen humanistic values, patriotism, citizenship and youth leadership in a global world. The social responsibility practice of the university will be expanded and focused on the goals of sustainable development.

The formation of the university development strategy is of great importance. This open process involves the active participation of teachers, scientists, employees and students who make their proposals, demonstrating corporate spirit and unity. Al-Farabi KazNU aims to become a driver for the socio-economic and spiritual modernization of the country and to enter the top 100 best universities in the world. There is a clear understanding that the new strategy and transition to SJSC require a review of the university mission and activity approaches, without which it will not be possible to achieve quality growth and increase competitiveness.

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