Abstract The development of a country’s innovation potential is now regarded as an essential condition for economic modernisation and sustainable growth. This paper examines Kazakhstan’s state innovation policy over the period 2001–2025. The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that, despite long-standing programme efforts and substantial public funding, systemic issues persist in the country’s innovation policy, such as weak coordination, fragmented implementation and limited business involvement in the innovation process. The aim of this study is to identify the key factors shaping the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s state innovation policy through the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Innovation policy effectiveness is assessed based on measurable innovation outcomes and stakeholder perceptions of state support mechanisms. The regression analysis shows that only investment in R&D has a statistically significant impact on the growth of innovation output. In contrast, industrial innovation expenditures and the share of active enterprises show a weaker correlation. Survey data highlight key barriers such as bureaucracy, lack of transparency, and regional disparities in access. The results of the survey suggest that without a systemic transformation of governance institutions, a revision of the grant allocation system and stronger incentives of innovation demand, sustainable progress is unlikely to be achieved. The findings may be of relevance to countries with emerging innovation systems.
Barlybayeva et al. (Mon,) studied this question.