The paper is devoted to the development of general methodological approaches to evaluate and identify the possibility for creating IT clusters in Kazakhstan regions. The present study considers the formation of IT clusters as growth poles. These poles are based on the establishing the groups of interconnected companies and institutions in IT industry linked by commonalities. The analysis of previous literature has shown that this approach is a novel approach to IT clusters formation. The study employs methods, which focus on analyzing and identifying IT clusters in the interests of innovative development and the possibility of spreading information technology in Kazakhstan regions. We propose the methodological tools for presenting a standard form to assess innovative potential and industry specialization. This assessment allows to objectively and realistically define a potentially important region for creating IT cluster. The empirical analysis has identified certain trends in possibilities to create IT clusters in the cities of Almaty and Astana. Therefore, these regions play the role of specialized platforms for a new generation. This platform is to provide a multiplier effect on the development of the agglomeration and located in close territories or periphery. The results of this research can be used to elaborate important strategic documents in the field of the development of the IT industry, digital technology, knowledge-based and high-tech sectors in Kazakhstan on the way to Industry 4.0.

This research is defined as a study regarding on structured and systematized of existing literature review of the intersection between intellectual property management, management and technology transfer offices (TTOs). It takes a deeper look at requirements within universities, scientific institutions and the business environment should be interconnected with each other. The literature review shows that TTOs have control over the process of knowledge transfer and they have contributed to improving the efficiency of the use of production and human resources. In this paper, authors proposed the methodological tools based on methodology model, which identified success factors for using project management in TTO between two countries -Kazakhstan and Spain. Further, we used methodology is focused on solving the problems of quantitative analysis based on the use of primary data, which allowed us to reach a huge number of respondents without any restrictions, and secondary data from statistical database. Findings and results are summarized at the end of article show that Kazakhstan is following the path of the Spanish experience. However, Kazakhstan can become more successful in commercializing scientific technologies and transferring knowledge and technologies. In turn, Spain can use the data from our analysis to work on barriers and improve the activities of TTOs.

This study aims to study Kazakhstan’s regions and identify places with the best potential for developing smart cities based on cluster analysis. To analyze the differentiation by the level of development, 17 regions of Kazakhstan are grouped according to 2020 data from the statistical bulletin of the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The formation of groups of regions with different values of indicators was carried out based on agglomerative clustering using the single linkage, complete linkage, and Ward’s clustering methods. In agglomerative clustering, the algorithm groups regions based on observations into clusters, and indicators determine each area’s innovative development level. The instrument to build clustering is the “RStudio” software package. As a result, regions with their essential characteristics were identified, and an assessment of their prospects was obtained with the most significant potential for developing and managing “smart cities” – Atyrau region, Almaty city, and Astana city. The remaining clusters include regions where favorable conditions for the development of innovations have not yet been formed, which require more resources and efforts to build “smart cities.” Therefore, they should not be the first to implement this concept. They need a more balanced, integrated approach, ideally supported by experience in implementing the idea in more promising regions. In a sense, clustering also allowed for identifying potential (or even existing) innovation clusters in regions of Kazakhstan. The study results can be used in developing government programs to form smart cities and further study the potential of smart cities.

The research aims to assess the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on economic growth in different regions of Kazakhstan. A few basic complex methods, such as systematisation of statistical data and regression analysis, conducted using the STATA software package, were used to analyse the relationship of indicators in different periods. Based on data for the period 2007–2018 obtained from the World Bank, the International Telecommunication Union and statistical yearbook of Kazakhstan, we assess how ICT, expressed by such indicators as Internet access in organisations, the number of computers and fixed telephones, influences economic growth. Our analysis revealed differences in the speed of implementation and development of ICT depending on the region, meaning that the least developed territories still lag in the number of Internet users. We have concluded that since 2014, the country’s currency has weakened due to the decrease in the cost of oil and consequent economic decline; mobile devices are increasingly used, reducing the demand for fixed telephones; computers in organisations are affecting economic growth in more developed regions since 2014, although the negative effect of Internet access is growing, as the model shows. The obtained results can used for strategy development to compare economic growth in regions with low, medium, and high development rates.

In recent years, economic research has paid great attention to the development of the socio-cultural environment of the regions. In recent years, many countries have begun to invest more financial resources in the social and cultural problems of the country, including its regions. Identifying and considering the peculiarities of the regional socio-cultural environment will allow for the least painless integration into the global system and integration with other more developed countries. From the point of view of the theory of science, the purpose of this article is to reveal the essence of the concepts of "socio-cultural environment", the conditions and factors of its sustainable development, and to conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan from the prism of the socio-cultural environment of development. During the literature review, it was found that many research papers cover the problems of socio-cultural development of regions and countries in the areas of economics, management, social sphere, etc. In the course of the study, general scientific and special methods were used, and the course of the study was divided into four stages. The theoretical significance of this study is to generalize and expand the theory of the socio-cultural environment of the development of regions, and practical application can be reflected in use by government agencies of recommendations to improve the socio-cultural environment of the development of regions.