Integration of education and production

Integration between education and production should be a fundamental form of interaction between universities and industrial complexes. When implemented at a new qualitative level, this integration should form the basis for developing connections with sectoral ministries and agencies.

The main objectives of such integration include:

• Practical application of university research results;

• Production of small-batch or low-volume products requiring scientific input;

• Creation of well-staffed engineering systems;

• Strengthening the material, technical, and social base of universities.

Alongside engineering and scientific-technical centers established at universities, it is essential to develop systems that combine:

• educational and scientific centers of scientific-industrial associations;

• joint experimental productions;

• enterprises and design bureaus involving foreign partners;

• scientific-consulting points;

• shared unique equipment and production capacities.

The combination of science, education, and business is one of the key factors for accelerating the transformation of universities into research universities. Every teacher and researcher’s active participation in this process is crucial. At Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, several successful practices in this area have already been implemented.

According to UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education, the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, teaches several courses at the master’s level in an innovative format, including:

• Modern Technologies for the Synthesis of Inorganic Materials Based on Polymeric Phosphates;

• Fundamentals of Natural Aluminosilicate Modification Technology;

• Mechano-Chemistry of Inorganic Materials.

These courses are taught through scientific mini-projects, where master’s students:

• search for international and domestic scientific literature and patents;

• conduct laboratory experiments, calculating material balances and economic indicators;

• familiarize themselves with modern research equipment, such as ball and planetary mills, and photocalorimeters.

At the end of the course, each student defends their project, which helps them understand the advantages of technology requiring scientific input and the practical ways of implementing it in small-scale production.

Integration of education, science, and industry should become a central focus for the development of research universities. By combining science and practice in the educational process, universities not only train competitive personnel but also make a tangible contribution to the country’s innovation-driven development. Early engagement of master’s students in scientific research plays a decisive role in developing their professional skills and serves as an effective model of integrating education and business in Kazakhstan.

Beikyt Balgysheva,

PhD, Associate Professor
Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry