In this contemporary era, environmental problems spread at different levels in all countries of the world. Economic growth does not just depend on prioritizing the environment or improving the environmental situation. If the foreign direct investment is directed to the polluting industries, they will increase pollution and damage the environment. The purpose of the study is to consider the relationship between foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and economic growth and renewable energy consumption. The study is based on data obtained from 1992 to 2018. The results show that there is a two-way link between foreign direct investment and renewable energy consumption in the considered two countries. The Granger causality test approach is applied to explore the causal relationship between the variables. The Johansen co-integration test approach is also employed to test for a relationship. The empirical results verify the existence of co-integration between the series. The main factors influencing renewable energy are economic growth and electricity consumption. To reduce dependence on fuel-based energy sources, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need to attract energy to renewable energy sources and implement energy efficiency based on rapid progress. This is because renewable energy sources play the role of an engine that stimulates the production process in the economy for all countries.

The paper overviews Russian and foreign studies on renewable energy. In view of some economic and environmental premises, namely depletion of the traditional energy sources and growing costs of their exploitation, a new alley is being paved in scientific literature and global practices for displacing traditional energy resources and providing for a substantial contribution of renewable sources to total energy consumption. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine what role renewable energy will play in the socio-economic security of territories, to identify the potential and possible applications of renewable energy. The main tasks for the study were to: identify the socio-economic implications of the transition from traditional to renewable energy sources, study the foreign experience of implementing renewable energy policies, estimate the potential and evaluate the prospects for renewable energy with the focus on rural northern regions. The potential for renewable energy market growth in Russia was estimated, specifically for the Northwestern macroregion. To provide for socio-economic security, the energy policy being developed must have an environmental and economic orientation. Primary focus in the development of renewable energy sources should be on peripheral regions, which have no electrical grids of their own and are energy deficient.

The rapid pace of development of the digital economy is an effect conditioned by technology and innovation that have been developing over several decades and becoming more common. The number of Internet users in Kazakhstan increased from less than 1% in the 1990s to 81% in 2018, which happened due to a sharp decline in the cost of access and a high increase in computing power. The technological revolution has become a source of stimulating economic growth with less energy consumption. Digitalisation is considered to be a factor contributing to energy efficiency in the economy. The relationship between digitalisation, energy consumption and economic growth is a theme which has gained momentum recently. This paper attempts to estimate the effects of technology and economic factors on the energy intensity in Kazakhstan. The paper employs econometric methods: the unit root test, cointegration methods and the Granger causality test. All data were obtained from the World Bank's database for the period between 1994 and 2018 as well as the Statistics Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstanand the Odyssee database by EU. The results demonstrate that Internet usage and trade openness impact energy intensity. The results demonstrate that Internet usage and trade openness has a negative effect on energy consumption in the long run. The liberalisation trade and economy reduces the consumption of energy obtained from fossil fuels and minimises environmental degradation. Digitalisation is supposed to stimulate the efficiency of the energy system by optimising consumption and metering, reducing losses, generating with lowest possible costs and emissions, etc. Economic growth has a positive and statistically significant impact on energy intensity. The article contains certain recommendations for policy makers: the government should attract more investment and provide consistent support for ICT to increase the energy efficiency and to decrease total energy consumption.

The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers of university and industry cooperation and to develop recommendations for the internal ecosystem of technology commercialization. The research method used is a survey of three categories of experts from 9 universities of Almaty (researchers, technology transfer managers, spin-off-owners). Despite the strong efforts of the government of Kazakhstan in building innovation infrastructure, there is a low level of innovation activity, less than 5% of university inventions are transferred into the industry. The results of the expert survey showed that the main barriers for cooperation between university and industry are: lack of resources to build university-industry links, lack of time due to high teaching load, poor qualification of technology transfer managers and lack of networking with industry. Based on the results of the expert survey, it is proposed to develop the ecosystem for the commercialization of university-based technologies, for which the following economic activities are important: human resources, financing, intellectual property management system, and intermediary infrastructure. The results of this study can be applied in developing the strategies and policies for universities, public research organizations, as well as for national R&D and higher education policies.

Due to the depletion of traditional energy sources, the rising costs of their operation and the need to transition to a sustainable economy, it becomes relevant to increase the share of renewable energy sources in total consumption. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of renewable energy and the establishment of factors determining pro-environmental behavior. The data of the author’s sociological survey of the population of the Arctic regions of Russia and methods of descriptive statistics were used, and regression analysis was carried out. The study shows the ecological and energy characteristics of the Arctic regions of Russia. The main advantages and possibilities of transition to renewable energy sources have been identified. A relationship has been established between the degree of involvement in pro-environmental behavior and knowledge about renewable energy, the perceived importance of environmental problems, age, income, education, amount of waste produced and current electricity costs. It is shown that the degree of involvement in pro-environmental behavior affects the willingness to pay more for renewable energy. A number of institutional measures to promote renewable energy, increase willingness to pay for renewable energy and spread pro-environmental behavior are proposed.