THE ALGABIOTECH KAZAKH-JAPAN-CHINA INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE OPENED AT THE FACULTY OF BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY OF AL-FARABI KAZAKH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

On 20 December 2024, the Kazakh-Japanese-Chinese International Research Centre AlgaBioTech was inaugurated at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. This centre is a vivid example of our commitment to scientific progress, international cooperation and sustainable development.

The establishment of this centre was made possible thanks to the support of our partners from Japan and China, as well as the enthusiasm and hard work of our scientists. We are confident that the Centre will become a platform for addressing several key challenges of our time, from combating climate change and pollution to developing sustainable biotechnological solutions for energy, agriculture and medicine.

Zayadan Bolatkhan Kazykhanuly, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, actively manages and coordinates many projects aimed at the development of new biotechnology methods and their implementation in industry and the environmental sphere.

Phototrophic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria are the research focus at our new centre. These unique organisms have outstanding properties: high biological activity, the ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and organic compounds and to produce biologically active substances. Their potential opens up prospects for the development of environmentally friendly technologies, from the production of biofuels and biofertilisers to the clean-up of polluted ecosystems and the creation of new medical products.

The Centre will focus on several key areas. Firstly, it will research and develop technologies to produce alternative energy sources such as biodiesel, biogas and bioethanol using microalgae and cyanobacteria strains. We are confident that these technologies will help reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and contribute to reducing carbon footprints.

Secondly, considerable attention will be paid to the challenges of bioremediation - cleaning up soil and water bodies from pollutants. Thanks to their natural biological processes, cyanobacteria and microalgae can be powerful tools for restoring ecosystems and minimising environmental damage.

Conservation of bioresources will also be a major focus. The Centre plans to develop a collection of strains of phototrophic microorganisms adapted to the conditions of Kazakhstan, which will make it possible to develop technologies that take into account the peculiarities of our region.