National Innovation Systems in Central Asia

The Central Asian Newly Independent States – the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan – have been navigating a complex socio-economic transition, re-establishing identity and sovereignty, and pursuing global integration. Along this path, multiple reforms have prioritised innovation as a means to achieve broader developmental goals. Yet comprehensive, systematic reflection on these developments across the region remains almost absent in international scholarship.

This project seeks to develop an in-depth, contextualised understanding of where Central Asian states stand today in terms of innovation and their forward-looking aspirations. To this end, it encourages and brings together contributions from scholars across disciplines, thereby also promoting research as well as scholarly and public discourse both within the region and internationally. The edited volume resulting from this project aims to feature diverse accounts of innovation visions and strategies, historical determinants and future pathways, interpretative reflections and normative orientations. The national innovation system framework serves as the overarching framework, inviting contributors to examine innovation-related phenomena systematically and to identify contextual factors that help interpret the trajectories to date and evaluate the prospects for achieving policy aspirations.

The call for contributions closed in August 2025 and attracted a large number of submissions spanning fields such as economics, law, sociology, education, cultural studies, urban architecture, innovation management, and public administration, with most originating from leading universities in the region. The next steps will involve peer review, focus-group discussions, refinement of chapters, and integrating the contributions into a coherent perspective. Publication in the Springer series of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition is anticipated by the end of 2026.

Project-related inquiries can be directed to Dr Daria Kim, project lead and editor, at daria.kim(at)ip.mpg.de.