The festival was organized by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the USTEM Foundation, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Daryn”), the international innovation cluster Astana Hub, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Smart Sarbaz). The general sponsor was Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund JSC.
The key event of the festival was the Central Asia FIRST Championship tournament, which determined the 50 strongest teams in the country. All of them shared prize money and grants; however, spots for global championships were distributed as follows: 16 top teams were selected to join the national team for participation in the FIRST Championship finals in Houston (USA), while the remaining teams will represent Kazakhstan at international tournaments in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
The award ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhaslan Madiyev, as well as senior leadership of Samruk-Kazyna JSC.
The head of the agency overseeing digital development highly praised the engineering potential of the youth:
“This festival clearly demonstrates that Kazakhstan is becoming an important hub for technological talent in Central Asia. Today, we see not just school students with construction kits, but future engineers and architects of artificial intelligence. The development of robotics is the foundation of our digital transformation. We will continue to support such initiatives, as these young people will be the ones implementing advanced technologies in industry and public administration, ensuring our country’s competitiveness in the global market,” he emphasized.
Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC, Nurlan Zhakupov, summarizing the results of the festival, noted the strategic importance of supporting youth innovation:
“By supporting this festival, we are investing not only in a competition, but in an innovation ecosystem — in people, ideas, and practical solutions that can be implemented in the real sector of the economy in the future. It is important for us to keep pace with the times by creating a platform for forming a new generation of specialists capable of building Kazakhstan’s digital economy. We see these young people as the future talent pool for our largest enterprises, and their achievements today are a guarantee of the country’s technological sovereignty tomorrow.”
Composition of the National Team of Kazakhstan (FIRST Championship 2026, Houston, USA)
FIRST LEGO League Explore (junior category):
- Alem Innovators
FIRST LEGO League Challenge (middle category):
- FIZTEX
- ToleBi Daryn and Tidal Tumble
FIRST Tech Challenge (senior category):
- JelToqSun
- TGJ
- xCeption
- SANA
- KAP
- Panheya
- OVERTIME
- Nomadic.Dragons.FTC
- FIZMAT ROBOTICS
- FoxSlide
- MLP
- Celestial
In addition to the FIRST Championship, competitions were also held in the following areas as part of the festival: Alem Drone League, RoboCup Soccer, Physical AI Championship, RoboCup Rescue, and Battle of Bots.
For more details, visit the website of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The festival was organized by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the USTEM Foundation, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Daryn”), the international innovation cluster Astana Hub, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Smart Sarbaz). The general sponsor was Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund JSC.
The key event of the festival was the Central Asia FIRST Championship tournament, which determined the 50 strongest teams in the country. All of them shared prize money and grants; however, spots for global championships were distributed as follows: 16 top teams were selected to join the national team for participation in the FIRST Championship finals in Houston (USA), while the remaining teams will represent Kazakhstan at international tournaments in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
The award ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhaslan Madiyev, as well as senior leadership of Samruk-Kazyna JSC.
The head of the agency overseeing digital development highly praised the engineering potential of the youth:
“This festival clearly demonstrates that Kazakhstan is becoming an important hub for technological talent in Central Asia. Today, we see not just school students with construction kits, but future engineers and architects of artificial intelligence. The development of robotics is the foundation of our digital transformation. We will continue to support such initiatives, as these young people will be the ones implementing advanced technologies in industry and public administration, ensuring our country’s competitiveness in the global market,” he emphasized.
Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC, Nurlan Zhakupov, summarizing the results of the festival, noted the strategic importance of supporting youth innovation:
“By supporting this festival, we are investing not only in a competition, but in an innovation ecosystem — in people, ideas, and practical solutions that can be implemented in the real sector of the economy in the future. It is important for us to keep pace with the times by creating a platform for forming a new generation of specialists capable of building Kazakhstan’s digital economy. We see these young people as the future talent pool for our largest enterprises, and their achievements today are a guarantee of the country’s technological sovereignty tomorrow.”
Composition of the National Team of Kazakhstan (FIRST Championship 2026, Houston, USA)
FIRST LEGO League Explore (junior category):
- Alem Innovators
FIRST LEGO League Challenge (middle category):
- FIZTEX
- ToleBi Daryn and Tidal Tumble
FIRST Tech Challenge (senior category):
- JelToqSun
- TGJ
- xCeption
- SANA
- KAP
- Panheya
- OVERTIME
- Nomadic.Dragons.FTC
- FIZMAT ROBOTICS
- FoxSlide
- MLP
- Celestial
In addition to the FIRST Championship, competitions were also held in the following areas as part of the festival: Alem Drone League, RoboCup Soccer, Physical AI Championship, RoboCup Rescue, and Battle of Bots.
For more details, visit the website of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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