Starting October 1, 2026, the national standard ST RK «Scientific Research and Its Implementation into Production. General Requirements for Work Execution, Report Structure, and Formatting» comes into effect in Kazakhstan.
The new standard is aimed at modernizing approaches to conducting research and development work, enhancing the efficiency of scientific activities, and establishing a consistent transition from obtaining a scientific result to its practical application and commercialization.
«One of the key areas of the standard is the digitalization of scientific research. The document forms a regulatory framework for the application of end-to-end digital technologies, artificial intelligence tools, patent analytics, and digital twins, and also provides for compliance with the international FAIR principles of openness and reusability of scientific data», noted Zhanna Yesenbekova, Chairperson of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
An important innovation is the introduction of differentiated scales for assessing the maturity of research results. For technological developments, the application of the TRL scale from 1 to 9 is provided; for social projects — SRL from 1 to 9; and for fundamental research — KRL. This approach allows for the evaluation of results considering the specifics of the respective field of scientific activity.
Special attention in the standard is given to protecting the academic freedom of scientists. If the research is conducted in accordance with the approved methodology, a negative result obtained is recognized as a scientific achievement and does not constitute grounds for applying financial sanctions. This approach reduces the risk of pressure on researchers and creates conditions for conducting scientifically sound research, including studies whose results did not confirm the initial hypothesis.
When conducting research in the field of medicine, the standard also stipulates the priority of healthcare legislation requirements and the relevant good practices GLP, GCP, and GMP. In addition, a threshold for anti-plagiarism checks of reporting documentation is established — at least 50 percent.
Thus, the new national standard creates a modern regulatory framework for the development of research activities in Kazakhstan, combining digital transformation, international approaches to assessing the maturity of scientific results, protection of academic freedom, and a focus on the practical application of research results.