Astana Hub and Ghent University open AI laboratory with startup ambitions
The joint laboratory at Alem.ai will bring Kazakh and Belgian researchers together, with education and health among its first areas of work.
15 Oct 2026
Astana Hub and Belgium’s Ghent University are opening a joint artificial intelligence and mathematics laboratory at Alem.ai in Kazakhstan, bringing startup creation into a research partnership focused on practical AI applications.
The laboratory will connect scientists from both countries, including researchers from Kazakhstan’s scientific diaspora. Its agenda combines joint research, training for young scientists and the development of new technologies, according to Astana Hub’s announcement.
Two initial areas of work are personalised learning, using AI and neurotechnology, and an AI solution for the early screening of Parkinson’s disease. These give the collaboration a focus in education and health as the partners build their research programme.
The project sits within AI Labs, an initiative at Alem.ai that develops research partnerships with international universities. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development is supporting the laboratory, the ministry said.
The emphasis on mathematics reflects the foundations of AI development. Optimisation, statistics and probability underpin model training; the laboratory’s remit connects those disciplines with applied research problems. Alongside the technical work, the partners identify technology startups and the development of AI and mathematics talent as intended outcomes.
International research funding is another part of the plan. The partners intend to submit joint applications to Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation programme for 2021–2027, and attract investment into the laboratory’s research and development.
The collaboration builds on a wider academic relationship. In February, Kazakhstan’s embassy reported discussions with Ghent University about extending cooperation beyond academic exchanges. Areas under discussion included joint research, co-supervised doctoral programmes and innovation projects spanning biotechnology, agriculture, AI and digitalisation.
The new laboratory gives that relationship a dedicated setting for AI and mathematics research. Its stated objectives connect the training of researchers with technologies that can become the basis of new ventures.
For Kazakhstan’s startup ecosystem, the relevant opportunity is the link between scientific work and company formation: researchers will work on defined applications while the partnership seeks international support for development. With education and health on its initial agenda, the laboratory adds a new route for turning research into technology businesses.