Policies to promote science-industry links and technology commercialisation in emerging countries: the case of Kazakhstan's Technology Commercialization Project

Abstract

National innovation systems in emerging countries often suffer from weak university-industry links and inefficient technology commercialisation processes. While the existing literature is rich in analysing this kind of systemic failures from a broad theoretical perspective, there is a shortage of applied studies that discuss how these challenges unfold in practice and the policy options to address them. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this research agenda through a case study of the Technology Commercialization Project in Kazakhstan. This project was launched in 2010 by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education and Science in cooperation with the World Bank. It comprised different measures to strengthen the national science base and to promote technology commercialisation. It was designed to address existing inefficiencies that hamper innovation in Kazakhstan, such as insufficient science-industry links; lack of critical mass in scientific research; inefficient funding programs that fail to reward excellence; and poor institutions and infrastructures. Following the end of the Technology Commercialization Project in 2015, the aim of this article is to provide a critical assessment of its outcomes and future challenges. Based on the recent experience of Kazakhstan, broader policy implications relevant to other transition and emerging countries are drawn.