THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR YESSENOV FOUNDATION INTERNSHIPS IS CONSISTENTLY HIGH

How many applications did the Foundation receive this year, and how many people claim victory in the competition?
On November 12, we finished accepting applications. This is already our 11th competition, the first one was held in 2013. Over all the years of the Program’s implementation, we have received from minimum 62 to maximum 238 applications. This year 154 applications were submitted, and this is the top 3 in the entire history of the Program. Thus, this year there are 15.4 people competing for each grant.

What regions are the applicants from?
There is nothing new about that, which is good. This proves the stability of both the target audience and the Research Internships Program itself, and its relevance. 33 applications are from Almaty, 14 – from Shymkent, 10 – from each of Astana, Aktobe and Karaganda. Slightly less applications were submitted from Semey, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, Atyrau, Taraz, Qostanai, Pavlodar, Kokshetau, and not only from the cities, but also from the regions – all of Kazakhstan participates in the competition.

Name the top 10 educational institutions where the applications were received from.
The undisputed leader is Nazarbayev University (56), followed by al-Farabi Kazakh National University (18), Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (12) and Karaganda Medical University (9). Kazakh-British Technical University (Almaty), Shakarim University (Semey), Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana), Semey Medical University, Atyrau University of Oil and Gas and Satbayev University (Almaty) are also in the top 10.

Did only students apply for grants?
No. 59 grant applicants are undergraduate students. The other two significant categories of applicants are researchers (46) and master’s students (33). There are also residents and even doctoral students. However, according to the Program Provisions, applications from PhDs will not be considered. The Program is aimed to help students who are engaged in scientific researches pursue science as well as apply to doctoral programs (PhD). These internships, or rather work experience in the world laboratories, and recommendations from scientific supervisors, give an advantage to them among other applicants for doctoral studies and help receive invitations from the world’s best universities.

What specialties do the applicants choose most often?
Medicine (including public health and biomedical engineering) breaks all records – specialties in this field are specified in 25 applications. Chemistry, chemical engineering and chemical technology (13) are also the most popular specialties.  Biology (teacher training) and mathematics were stated in five questionnaires each. Candidates also often chose civil engineering, computer science, robotics and neuroscience. In total, we registered 79 specialties.

What’s next?
The first round of the Research Internships Program’s competition will be held up until December. At this stage the Foundation’s employees and experts will assess legitimate applications received. On November 29, we will publish the list of the participants who passed to the second round, on the website and on social media. During the second stage which will take place in December, each candidate will pass an individual and a group interview, meet with a psychologist and solve interesting tasks. At this stage the participant has to perform at his/her best, show himself/herself as a young scientist who will contribute to the development of science in Kazakhstan, as a strong person striving for personal growth, inspiring and motivating others. And after the Foundation selects the winners, their names will be published on the Yessenov Foundation’s website on December 23, 2024. Then this year’s winners will have an equally stressful time searching for a laboratory, receiving an invitation, purchasing tickets, obtaining a visa, etc. Let me remind you that a grant allocated by the Yessenov Foundation covers all these expenses, as well as expenses for accommodation, food and insurance during the internship.

As a reminder, the Yessenov Foundation launched the Research Internships Program in 2013. Since then, more than 100 young Kazakhstani scientists and scientific experts have become its winners.