RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC FORUM "MODERN TRENDS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES" DEDICATED TO THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF AL-FARABI KAZAKH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY AND THE FACULTY OF BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

The International Scientific Forum "Modern Trends of Sustainable Development of Biological Sciences" dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology was held on 27-28 March in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Forum was organised with the support of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, the Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH), the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), the Institute of Dendrology of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Biomedicine Research Centre and the SDG Programme under the auspices of the United Nations (UN).

The plenary session of the Forum was held in two parts. In the first part of the plenary session, welcoming speeches were delivered by the Member of the Management Board - Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation Aitzhanova Zhamila Nurmatovna, and other distinguished guests, including the General Coordinator, COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Executive Director, COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Representative of the UN Department of Global Communications in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Head of the UN Information Bureau in the Republic of Kazakhstan Vlastimil Samek, Acting General Director of the Institute of Dendrology, Ministry of Science and Education, Republic of Azerbaijan, Associate Professor Hasanova Minara Yunis. Scientific reports were then presented by local and foreign scientists. These included the interesting reports by the Director of the Astana National Laboratory of Nazarbayev University, Professor Dos Sarbassov, and the Principle Investigator of Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese  Academy of Sciences (TIB CAS), Tianjin, China PhD, Professor Zhiyong Huang.

During the forum, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi and the Institute of Dendrology of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This document creates the basis for further cooperation in the field of scientific research, exchange of experience and knowledge, as well as the organization of joint projects and activities in areas of mutual interest.

During the second part of the plenary session of the International Biology Forum, distinguished scientists from various countries delivered congratulatory speeches and six scientific presentations. The congratulatory speeches were delivered by high-ranking representatives, including the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Professor Kurmanbayeva Meruyert Sakenovna, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, General Director of the Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Professor Sadanov Amankeldi Kurbanovich, General director of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction, Academician of the National Academy of Natural Sciences of Kazakhstan, Sitpayeva Gulnara Tokbergenovna. Scientists presented scientific reports with important research in the field of biology and biotechnology. The speakers were an Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor Rakhmetkazhi Iskendirovich Bersimbay, Professor of the National Institute of Genetics, Japan Saitou Naruya,  Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor Turuspekov Erlan Kenesbekovich, Head of the Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Hungary, Professor Zoltán Barta, Professor of the Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Sedat Serçe.

The Forum brought together scientists and practitioners from different countries to actively exchange advanced knowledge and experience in various fields of biology. Four sections of the Forum covered a wide range of topics, including interdisciplinary research, current issues in biotechnology, basic and applied research in genetics and molecular biology, and issues related to the study and conservation of biodiversity.

The forum received more than 200 applications from 104 organisations, including 64 universities and 40 research institutes and centres from 14 countries, including Kazakhstan, Germany, France, China, Japan, Hungary, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. All materials submitted to the Organizing Committee of the International Forum underwent mandatory plagiarism checks and were sent for double-blind peer review. More than 100 papers were recommended for publication in BIO Web of Conferences (Proceedings), which is indexed in international databases.

This forum not only confirmed the importance of the issues discussed but also showed a strong interest in the development of life sciences in Kazakhstan. It became not only a platform for knowledge exchange but also a place where scientists could establish and strengthen horizons but also to the development of scientific cooperation between different countries, strengthening international relations in the field of science and education.