Kazakhstan intends to develop start-up projects in “green” technologies
KazCentre for Housing and Utilities heal a meeting with representatives of UNIDO - the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The parties discussed the possibility of joint participation in the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP).
GCIP is aimed at supporting start-up-projects in “green” technologies. GCIP country partners who have received the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant funding, conduct a competition among entrepreneurs in the countries and choose the most perspective projects for their acceleration and commercialization.
A GCIP country partner of Kazakhstan is the Kazakhstan Scientific and Technical Center for Housing and Utilities Development (KazSTC for H&UD) being a subsidiary of KazCentre. For today, KazSTC for H&UD and UNIDO fulfill the basic directions for preparation and submission of the joint bid to GEF. Upon receiving the grant, it is planned to carry out system work on the collection, selection, acceleration and commercialization of projects. From 100 to 200 representatives of small and medium businesses will participate in each of the planned competitions. 2 finalists of 25 semifinalists will be chosen by Kazakhstan and foreign experts, who will go to Silicon Valley to develop and promote their businesses.
«Due to implementing this very project, Kazakhstan can possess new technological business-products for solving the issues of rational use of water and energy resources and creating models for the sustainable development of cities in the infrastructure and housing sector. We will do our best to be an active participant of the program, as well as to promote the Kazakhstan innovative start-up projects and develop the ecologically clean technologies», - the First Deputy Chairman of the Board of KazCentre for Housing and Utilities Adilkhan Umerbayev said.
It is worth noting that about 900 applications from 9 countries (Armenia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa, Vietnam, Brazil, Thailand) were submitted to UNIDO/GEF since 2014, including more than 100 applications have been accepted for participation in the program.