Kazakhstan's Subsoil Users Allocated 8.9 Billion Tenge for R&D in 2025

A meeting of the Public Council, chaired by Zhakyp Khairushev, was held with the participation of Vice Minister of Energy Yerlan Akbarov and representatives of relevant departments.

The agenda focused on local content issues, the implementation of digital twins in the oil and gas sector, and reforms to the system for financing research and development (R&D).

Participants paid special attention to the fulfillment of obligations by subsoil users to allocate 1% of their costs to R&D. Currently, Kazakhstan has 320 subsoil use contracts in force, with 291 of them stipulating obligations for R&D funding.

Of these contracts with obligations, 44 provide for R&D funding from total annual income from contract activities. The remaining 247 are based on a standard contract and require contributions amounting to 1% of actual production costs from the previous year.

According to the presented data, a total of 8.9 billion tenge was directed to R&D based on the results of 2025. The companies Karazhanbasmunai, Kozhan, and SNPS-Aktobemunaigaz were noted as leaders in terms of funding volume.

A significant reform has reclassified R&D funding as special receipts of the state budget. New rules that came into force in February 2026 provide for the complete centralization of these contributions.

Henceforth, funded projects must strictly align with priority areas approved by the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Energy. Their implementation will be carried out through procedures at the Science Committee based on program-targeted financing.

The meeting also discussed current progress in creating digital twins. This initiative is expected to ensure data transparency in the oil and gas industry and improve resource management efficiency as part of the current digital agenda for 2026.