“I am very excited about the work that the Kazakhstan’s Government is doing in terms of introducing digital technologies. The digitization of the Government, namely the provision of state services in electronic format was about 60% in 2018, this year it is planned to increase this figure to 80%. This is an amazing figure for a fairly short period. Kazakhstan clearly shows a dynamic transformation. I think that Kazakhstan’s experience in digitalization can be applied in other countries. States can confidently adopt the reforms that Kazakhstan has been successfully implementing,” said the expert.

According to Ziegler, Kazakhstan should not slow down the development of the digital direction. It is necessary to continue to improve the issue of stimulating young scientists, to give them the opportunity to realize their skills and knowledge, to launch as many unique startups as possible. You also need to focus on creating a universal platform to attract investors and mentors, so that they can assess all the opportunities to work in Kazakhstan.

Today Astana Hub, as the speaker notes, has a decent base of young scientists who want success and achievements in the information environment, as well as compete with other scientists from different countries.

Ziegler reported that Astana Hub International Technopark did a great job during the year of its activity: 47 different projects were implemented with more than a thousand participants involved.

The expert also highlighted the unique feature of Astana Hub, which distinguishes it from other international technology parks.

“I would like to draw attention to one fact that I have not met either in Singapore or Australia — a progressive taxation regime was proposed, which allows minimizing risks and making this object more attractive for investors and startups. This is the toolkit that helps us to become as competitive as possible, and these tax regimes make the situation even better,” he said.

As the expert noted, 2018 was very successful for the technopark. In 2019, everything has to be done to make Astana Hub a driving force in the forefront of the development of digital technologies in the country.

“We need to teach people how to invest in a digital environment. Our task is to involve outside participants in this process and do everything possible to expand the base of our clients. Our idea is to combine technology parks and make sure that they cooperate as much as possible not only with in-country parks, but also parks that are located in the regions,” said Ziegler.

Also, the task of Astana Hub is to create an innovation ecosystem: what can be done faster and better than others?

“We need to clearly understand that we must be ahead. We need to be more competitive. We need to provide access to technology so that citizens of different categories, including people with disabilities, feel comfortable,” he added.