In honor of the third anniversary of the founding of the Association of Kazakh Doctoral Students in the UK, a series of trainings and interactive sessions were held in the field of commercialization of scientific research, development of professional skills and career growth, publication of books and mechanisms for attracting talented Kazakh youth from abroad.

Within the framework of the plenary session, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK and mentor of the Association Yerlan Idrisov noted the importance of supporting the initiatives of young scientists and stressed that the development of human capital is the main priority of the leadership of Kazakhstan.

Speakers of the event represented by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Canada Akylbek Kamaldinov, Rector of the Kazakh-British Technical University Kenzhebek Ibrashev, Director of the British Council in Kazakhstan Eric Lori, General Director of Seedstars Kazakhstan Serik Shakarim, acting General Director of the Bureau of Continuous Professional Development of the International Financial Center "Astana" Elmira Aubri voiced their proposals for interaction with the Association and spoke about their opportunities to attract and develop the scientific potential and innovation ecosystem of Kazakhstan.

KBTU Rector Kenzhebek Ibrashev noted that one of the significant tasks of the university is creation of beneficial conditions for the young specialists, who have obtained education abroad, within the universities of Kazakhstan. This will give them the possibility to implement the gained knowledge at the national level and make their input into the economy of the country. For this, the Kazakh-British Technical University has all the necessary infrastructure and is ready to provide graduates of UK universities with jobs and laboratories for research. KBTU and the Association of Kazakh PhD Students in the UK signed a memorandum of cooperation and invite all graduates to cooperate in joint projects and programs.

Aliya Sembaeva, President of the Association and a doctoral student at the University of Liverpool with a degree in Organic Chemistry, announced the consistent geographical expansion of this structure with the inclusion of Kazakhstani scientists from Canada and Australia in its work. The Ambassador of the Association in Canada Madina Dzhunusova voiced a proposal to create a Kazakh-Canadian mentoring platform to support young scientists in Kazakhstan with the involvement of experienced Canadian colleagues.

A series of trainings dedicated to the anniversary of the Association was held from 10 to 12 November and covered the following topics:

- development of entrepreneurial thinking and commercialization of science;

- opportunities for career growth and research cooperation in Central Asia;

- book publishing;

- market opportunities.

The speakers and trainers included: General Director of Seedstars Kazakhstan S. Shakarim, General Director of QazInnovations Ilyas Ospanov, President of the Alliance of Professionals for Technology Commercialization Abdilda Shamenov, Executive Director of Henley Center for Entrepreneurship Yurek Sikorski, Head of the Atlas of New Professions project Oleg Metsik, Chairman Coordinating Council of the HR Association of Kazakhstan Gulmira Raisova, representatives of KBTU, University of Central Asia and Satbayev University, British and Kazakh editors and authors of books in the field of public policy, etc.

The Association of Kazakh Doctoral Students in the UK was established in November 2017. Its main goal is the exchange of knowledge and experience in the scientific field, as well as the development of cooperation with business in solving production problems and introducing the results of scientific activities into practice. The Association is the largest association of Kazakhstani scientists abroad, which includes more than 100 researchers - citizens of Kazakhstan, participating in scientific projects in technical and engineering disciplines, medicine, biotechnology, business sciences, as well as humanities and social sciences.