From 16 June to 16 July 2026, more than 200 researchers and health care practitioners participated in Kazakhstan’s Summer School on Clinical Research, delivered by the National Scientific Centre for Health Development with support from WHO and members of the Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF). The month-long programme included 10 thematic sessions designed to strengthen clinical research knowledge, skills and professional connections.
High-quality clinical trials generate evidence that can improve patient care, inform health policy and support the safe and effective use of health interventions. Building national capacity to conduct such research also requires skilled professionals, strong institutions and collaboration across the research ecosystem.
Connecting Kazakhstan with international expertise
The Summer School was developed in response to a request received through the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan. WHO drew on the GCTF network to complement its own technical expertise and connect the programme with specialists from international clinical research institutions. Contributors included experts from Advancing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases (ADVANCE-ID) at the National University of Singapore, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN), The Global Health Network (TGHN), the University of Oxford, as well as the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Clinical Research Ecosystem Strengthening.
The programme provided participants with opportunities to engage directly with international experts, exchange experience and explore current approaches and good practices in clinical research.
Reflecting on the Summer School, Manas Ramazanov, Vice-Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted: "Through your initiative, our specialists had a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge, engage with leading international experts, exchange valuable experiences, and gain first-hand insights into the latest global developments and best practices in clinical research."
The Ministry of Healthcare also highlighted Kazakhstan’s commitment to building a sustainable and internationally recognized clinical research ecosystem and to continuing collaboration with WHO to strengthen research capacity.
From global guidance to country action
The Summer School demonstrates how international collaboration can support country-led efforts to strengthen clinical research.
The GCTF brings together organizations with complementary expertise to support implementation of WHO’s work on strengthening clinical trials. In Kazakhstan, this network helped WHO respond to a country-level request by mobilizing expertise that could be brought directly into a national capacity-strengthening initiative.
The programme also reinforced a central principle of good clinical research: clinical trials ultimately aim to improve health. Maintaining high scientific and ethical standards, while keeping participants and communities at the centre of research, is essential to producing evidence that is trustworthy, relevant and useful.
By reaching more than 200 professionals and connecting national researchers with international expertise, the Summer School contributes to Kazakhstan’s wider efforts to develop a strong and sustainable clinical research ecosystem.