Kazakhstan continues to use several times more energy per production unit than more developed countries and regions of the world. This study is the first comprehensive review and analysis of energy intensity factors of Kazakhstan's gross domestic product for the priod of 1990-2018. We have studied the influence of various factors on the GDP energy intensity: Indicators characterizing the country's economic growth, power industry and living standards development. Calculations made have shown that the most significant influence on improving the energy efficiency of the economy is exerted by the indicators of Net Energy Imports and GDP per capita at PPP. The calculated elasticity coefficient shows that with an increase in the value of Net Energy Imports by 1%, the expected decrease in energy intensity shall be 0.85%. With an increase in GDP per capita of 1%, the expected decrease in energy intensity shall be 0.44%. However, in Kazakhstan, the influence of GDP per capita is mediated by the export of energy resources, which is confirmed by the high correlation between GDP growth, total energy production and export. We are concluding that for the developing economy of Kazakhstan exporting energy resources, the conversion of primary energy into products with high added value is more rational for economic development and energy conservation.

In the conditions of increasing competition in the technological sector of the economy and the intensification of innovation, innovative management tools are needed to facilitate the effective planning, organization, stimulation and control of the introduction and implementation of innovations in the resource regions of Kazakhstan. Consequently, new scientific approaches are required to manage the innovative development of the commodity region, which will increase the effectiveness of regional socio-economic systems.Currently, an advanced tool in the field of determining the territories of cluster localization is the model of “smart specialization”, which is a special scientific approach to the formation of regional clusters. The “smart specialization” model emphasizes the need to search for and select such spheres of activity which are capable of making the maximum contribution to the socio-economic development of the region by supporting and stimulating innovative research and development in the identified spheres of regional specialization. An important condition for regional economic progress is the identification of potential poles of innovative growth in the region based on the analysis of its own potential and best international practices. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the priority areas and develop methods, tools for managing the innovative development of resource regions of Kazakhstan on the basis of the model of “smart specialization” to create a new quality of economic growth of territories. The article analyzes the scientific literature and substantiates the priority, the effectiveness of applying the “smart specialization” model to the process of innovative development of the resource region. The methodological approaches (methodological principles, conditions, criteria, scenario variants, algorithm) of formation of rapidly developing sectors of economy of raw material region on the model of “smart specialization” are specified. The authors of the article specify the methodological tools, which will allow to carry out the choice of the most promising technologies for the formation of rapidly developing sectors of the economy of the commodity region.