Kazakhstan’s Academy of Sciences Votes to Dissolve, Paving Way for Unified National Body

The Republican Public Association "National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan" ("NAS RK") has voted to dissolve itself following a unanimous decision at a general meeting held on March 27 in Almaty, Orda.kz reports, citing the organization's press service.

The move will allow for a complete transition into the state-backed National Academy of Sciences under the President of Kazakhstan, which was established in 2023. According to the statement, the transformation aims to eliminate overlap and consolidate the country's scientific institutions.

This measure will eliminate duplication with the National Academy of Sciences under the President and strengthen its role as a single scientific center of a new format, uniting the potential of all leading scientists of the Academy of Sciences,
 the organization said in a press release.

Founded in 2003 as a public organization, "NAS RK" included high-profile figures such as Nursultan Nazarbayev, Timur and Dinara Kulibayev, and Valikhan Bishimbayev. Its existence paralleled the newly formed National Academy of Sciences under the President, creating institutional tension after the latter’s establishment in 2023 with official state status.

According to the recently adopted law “On Science and Technological Policy,” the state-recognized academy is now the sole supreme authority in the field of science.

A so-called “cold war” between the two academies had been brewing since 2022. That year, President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev issued a decree creating the new state-backed academy.

By mid-2024, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education launched a broader push to consolidate support exclusively behind the presidential body. Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek later confirmed that only the state academy would receive official backing.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova