ASTANA. September 1. KAZINFORM The launch of 16 up-to-date productions during the nationwide video-conference "New Industrialization - New Opportunities for Everybody" with the participation of the Head of the State became the first step in implementation of the National Industrial-Innovative Development Program. Development institutes, primarily SamrukKazyna National Welfare Fund, play a key role in direct financing of the investment projects due to which the country inaugurates new high-technological ventures manufacturing competitive products and creating thousands of jobs. All of this will lay a foundation for a new breakthrough in the economy in the post-crisis period. The Ministry of Industry and Trade coordinates and guides the industrialization process. Head of the Ministry Asset Issekeshev told about the course of new industrialization policy in an interview to Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper. At the XII Extraordinary Congress of Nur Otan People's Democratic Party the Head of the State instructed the Government to develop a five-year program of forced industrial-innovative development which is called to become one of the main documents of the country. How is this objective being accomplished? The work is going at full drive. We set up a Coordination Council for forced industrial development. Seven branch working groups hold regular sessions under the chairmanship of the heads of branch departments. A financial group on independent estimation of investment projects was also founded. The working groups carry out preliminary review of the sectors and gather investment projects to include them into the Industrialization Map. Besides, a detailed monitoring of the resources and sources of raw materials for the promising projects was held. In whole, the work goes on schedule. When do you plan to complete the elaboration of the Industrialization Map? There were held two enlarged sessions of the State Commission on Modernization of the Kazakhstan Economy. 92 investment projects amounting to KZT 11.1 trln were considered. 50 more projects initiated by the development institutes, socio-entrepreneurial corporations, local executive bodies are scheduled to be submitted for consideration in the nearest future. We plan to approve the basic list of the projects of the Industrialization Map by the third quarter. In the fourth quarter we are going to work on development of master plans which will allow completing the 2010-2014 State Program of forced industrial-innovative development by the end of the year. Development of the innovative sphere is an important component of forced industrialization. How would you assess the country's innovative development level and what problems will be in focus henceforth? Innovative sphere is the main aspect indeed. According to the Kazakhstan Statistics Agency 4.8% ventures were recognized innovative-active in 2006-2007, while in 2008 this index made only 4%. Unfortunately, the situation did not improve in the first half of 2009 and remained on the same level. To my mind, one of the major problems of science and innovations in Kazakhstan is non-completion of scientific researches, their separation from production. Most part of the researches have fundamental character, but they are neither financed nor implemented into production. What measures of state support will be provided to the enterprises engaged in innovative activities in connection with the amendments to the Law "On State Support of Innovative Activities"? The Law itself has undergone significant changes and additions. It foresees such mechanisms of the state support like provision of innovative grants and formation of a complex of measures for innovative development. The grants will be provided for acquisition of innovative technologies, implementation of developmental work and hazardous applied research, patenting abroad and in international organizations, and elaboration of technical and economic assessment of innovative project. The mechanism of grant financing will be implemented for the first time this year. Its budget will amount to KZT 150 mln. It is suggested that the next year the financing will be increased tenfold. Such institutions like "National Innovation Fund" (NIF) JSC, "Engineering and technology transfer centre" (CETT) JSC and "Science Fund" JSC with the status of institutions of innovation development in accordance with the Government's resolution. What have you achieved in promotion of Kazakhstan's share in national companies' procurements? SamrukKazyna JSC elaborated Instruction on compiling and reporting on the procurement. In accordance with it organizations of the fund's group submit reports on the Kazakh content. Following the results of the half-year period branch organizations of the National Welfare Fund signed 465 memorandums amounting to over KZT 135.8 bln with the domestic suppliers, on the basis of the signed memorandums concluded 1.665 treaties amounting to over KZT 111 bln, paid under contracts more than KZT 42 bln. Share of the concluded treaties on the signed memorandums made up 82 per cent, payment under the treaties - 38 per cent. Besides, the Fund conducts Register of the domestic manufacturers, which consists of 505 organizations, which provided 683 notarized copies of the certificate of origin of commodity of the CT-KZ form. The Program of Kazakhstan's content increase in procurements of SamrukKazyna Fund and affiliated organizations for 2009-2011 was established for implementation of import substitution projects, creation of new productions and new jobs. The Government carries out work on support of priority directions of import substitution production. What will be the final effect of implementing the policy of forced industrial-innovative development? The Program will help us move away from raw-material oriented economy, become one of the competitive countries of the world and raise the living standards of our nation. Owing to the policy of the forced industrial-innovative development we will be able to create conditions for transfer to service and technology economy in the long-term plan.