Purpose of research. Effective R&D management is critical in the framework of transition to a knowledgebased economy, thus it is not only about the size of the R&D budget and the percentage of R&D expenditures, but also about the management of innovation activities in general. The article analyzes the evolution of management of knowledge-intensive industries and its features at each stage of development.

Methodology. It was used a systematic analysis and structuring of scientific information; deduction method for determining the methodological foundations of foreign experience about system of management of knowledge-intensive industries.

Originality / value of research. The study includes literature review on this issue which issue made it possible to highlight the main approaches to the management of knowledge-intensive industries in the context of Industry 4.0. It was given information about models of R&D management by generations and their features.

Findings. The article presents the author's scheme of the system of management of knowledge-intensive industries and its components based on the open innovation approach, as well as the mechanisms of cooperation and communication "science-industry", which can be used in the formation of state programs for the development of science in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Purpose of the research – comparative analysis of the level of infrastructure provision in rural areas of Kazakhstan, which allows to determine the strategic directions of its development.

Methodology – a systematic approach to studying the problems of infrastructure security; methods of statistical and economic analysis. The research is based on the fundamental provisions of the concepts and hypotheses presented in classical and modern studies of foreign and domestic scientists, based on the system-functional approach, as well as software developments of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of regional development. This study is based on the use of methods of systemic, comparative and cluster analysis, methods of classification and grouping, multivariate statistical analysis, which made it possible to carry out a comparative analysis of the provision of rural areas of Kazakhstan with infrastructure, to group regions, which made it possible to determine the strategic directions for the development of infrastructure in rural areas of the country. To process the initial statistical information, the "Classification Analysis" package of the "IBM SPSS Statistics" application was used.

Originality / value of the research – lies in the fact that the comparative analysis of the level of provision of rural areas in the regions of Kazakhstan with basic infrastructure makes it possible to differentiate the regions of the country by the level of infrastructure provision and determine the priority directions of its development, which ultimately will provide them with tourist attractiveness. The findings of the study may be of interest in the development and implementation of programs for the socio-economic development of regions, the development of the tourism industry, as well as for the implementation of scientific research on the integrated development of rural settlements by government bodies.

Findings – A comparative analysis of the infrastructural provision of rural areas of Kazakhstan made it possible to identify existing problems in ensuring transport accessibility of destinations, a low level of provision of utilities and social infrastructure, which determines the unattractiveness of rural areas as tourist destinations and low demand from potential tourists.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the impact of electronic word of mouth as a moderator between country image and intention to visit Republic of Kazakhstan.

Methodology. This research is qualitative study. 48 foreign citizens who have never been to the Republic of Kazakhstan participated in the survey. The questions were conducted in English. The data was coded using Atlas.ti software.

Originality / value of the research. Understanding the country image of The Republic of Kazakhstan through the eyes of foreign citizens will help to determine the features and characteristics of the parties for the development of tourism in the country and reveal an understanding of exist gaps in the development of this industry.

Findings of this research actively demonstrates that Republic of Kazakhstan is not well covered in the world market and the relevant authorized bodies should pay attention and take measures to promote the country's image in the world market. The authors confirm moderator effect of electronic word of Mouth on country image and intention to visit the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The purpose of the research is to study the impact of global restrictions on changes in the structure of tourism spending and travelers' preferences.

Methodology. In order to achieve the purpose of the research, methods of statistical and comparative analysis were used. Also, the methodological basis of the research is the study of official information from open sources of government agencies and international organizations in the field of tourism, as well as scientific articles.

Research originality / value. The article gives a brief assessment of the current state of domestic tourism in the world and Kazakhstan, as well as its role in the travel industry. In addition, the analysis of structural changes in income in the international and domestic segment as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as existing restrictions on international travel, was carried out.

Findings. The results of the analysis revealed the main reasons for the weak development of domestic tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan and further trends. New mechanisms for stimulating domestic travel are proposed.

Purpose of the research. This study explores COVID19-imposed online education at one of the universities in Kazakhstan to understand whether and in what way it has affected students’ academic performance.

Methodology. We use several methodologies, such as the principal component analysis, the nearestneighbour propensity score matching and the latent variable multilevel model.

Originality / value of the research. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to estimate the effect of COVID19-imposed online teaching on academic performance in Kazakhstan.

Findings. Though our data suggest that the students exposed to online education had slightly lower academic performance than the earlier cohort of similar students who studied in class, this result is not statistically significant. In fact, for both cohorts of students, their past academic performance reflecting their academic abilities and attitudes, such as university entry test score and past accumulative GPA, matter much more than the mode of study. However, we found out that certain technical variables which characterise the “quality” of Zoom® sessions affect students’ academic performance. Specifically, using a smartphone instead of a personal computer to enter a class conducted in Zoom® negatively affects students’ achievement. Some other characteristics also produce expected effects though they turned out to be statistically insignificant possibly due to aggregation and a small dataset.

Purpose of research. The aim of the research is to study the knowledge of students about soft skills (SS), the types and where SSare acquired. Determine necessary SSfor employment, according to students.

Methodology. The research methodology consisted in conducting a questionnaire survey among bachelor's students of universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In total, 215 students from 9 universities. Based on the literature review, the main areas of soft skills formation were identified – family, school and universities. SPSS software and Excel were used to analyze student responses. The analysis was also carried out in terms of gender.

Originality / value of the research – the employment of students, directly depends on their professional and soft skills; therefore, it is important to know what soft skills students of Kazakhstan universities have.

Research results – showed that Responsibility and Politeness are continuously developed in students, which are more intensively established in the family and further developed more actively in universities, than at schools. The main results of the study showed that students have a general understanding of the importance of SSin employment. Therefore, it was recommended to conduct a more detailed analysis of the skills acquired by students in passing certain disciplines.

The purpose of the research is the analysis of the results of the implementation of programs aimed at the development of single-industry towns in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Methodology – general scientific methods such as synthesis, analysis, comparison, generalization.

Originality / value of the research. The analysis of regional development programs will allow determining the effectiveness of the measures taken for the development of the regions and, during the analysis, comprehensively assess the economic and social potential of the regions, as well as improve the system of upcoming measures.

Findings. As a result of the study, the topical issues and target indicators in the development programs of single-industry towns of Tekeli, Shakhtinsk, Zhezkazgan for 2016-2020, the results of their achievement according to the plan were analyzed.

The purpose of the study. The main purpose of this article is to assess the current state of public-private partnership (PPP) in the Republic of Kazakhstan, analyze and combine what we know about the PPP project management system in Kazakhstan. The need was identified to assess the current state of the public-private partnership project management system, to identify the main gaps and barriers to the implementation of PPP projects in Kazakhstan and to propose measures for their regulation and improvement.

Methodology. In the preparation of the article, a descriptive methodology was used, as well as a heuristic method of analysis. In the course of the study, data presented on public resources, including government portals, were analyzed. The study examined legal acts and regulations related to laws on PPP projects, on PPP, the public sector, the private sector, concessions, corporate legislation.

Research methods. Within the framework of the conducted research, the following methods were used:

- theoretical, including the analysis of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of public-private partnership;

- logical methods of generalization, comparison and comparison, deduction and induction, method of formalization, logical interpretation, method of logical justification and some others;

- analysis of legislative and regulatory documents;

- analysis of the database of public-private partnership projects of the Kazakhstan PPP center;

- a method of graphical representation of the obtained results of analysis and evaluation.

Originality / value of the research: Kazakhstan's information policy, which is permanently in the process of transformation, needs to be rebooted today. An upgrade of the public-private partnership project management system is needed. The main attention in the study was focused on determining and assessing the current state, as well as the dynamics of development of public-private partnership projects in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The authors identified and structured the main gaps in the development of the PPP project management system, and also proposed measures to improve them.

Findings. PPP in Kazakhstan requires comprehensive consideration in order to improve legislative aspects and approach the forms of PPP common in Western countries, it is necessary to build new modern PPP approaches, transform the mechanism into an accessible and transparent source of project implementation for business and the public, make a strict distinction between public procurement, since today the tool has become a bypass of the public procurement procedure. It is necessary to remove all business risks from the state. It is necessary to avoid unreasonably provided extra benefits and over-marginality. All this will radically change and improve the current state of the PPP project management system in the Republic of Kazakhstan and will make it more attractive for implementation. The state plays a leading role in this process, and state regulation of the PPP project management system should serve as a driver for changes dictated by time and the need to transform this system.

The purpose of the research is to identify the main directions and potential opportunities for the development of the region, contributing to the improvement of the welfare of economic entities and citizens living in it.

Methodology. In the course of the study, structural, functional, systemic and complex analyses were carried out, as well as analysis of information flows of data on regional management.

Originality / value of the research. The value of the research lies in the formation of scientific, practical and methodological provisions, including various aspects of managing the competitiveness of the region, in the context of sustainable development of the country.

Findings – potential risks and regional features of regional development are described. The main factors affecting the quality of strategic planning at the regional level are identified and recommendations for their improvement are developed. A functioning demo model of the digital akimat of the district (Akmola region) with the possibility of presenting specific data at the level of a rural district, village is presented. In this regard, it becomes obvious the growing role and importance of regions in the formation of competitiveness of national economic systems, which justifies the need for a systematic study of theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of the competitiveness of the region.

Purpose of the research is to study the current state and directions and opportunities in the development of local self-government in the Republic of Kazakhstan, its place and role in the development of active participation of citizens of society, expanding the independence of regional authorities, the embodiment of their potential in managing their own budget process.

It also studied materials on the current state of budgeting of the local self-government system in the Republic of Kazakhstan and on this basis developed proposals for its improvement.

Methodology. In the course of the study, general scientific methods such as theoretical generalization, scientific abstraction, analysis of the current and past state based on data from Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The originality / value of the research. One of the important directions of the adopted innovations is the gradual implementation of a separate direct budget in a separate city, village, settlement, in a rural area, and at the same time increasing the powers of local self-government bodies and their financial support.

Value is the study lies in the need to assess the reforms, aimed at creating an independent budget with the transfer of part of municipal property to the jurisdiction of local government bodies, which contributes to the increase in the powers of these bodies in the distribution of this property and the distribution of the budget.

Findings. The results of the study – identified issues requiring of the understanding of local self-government bodies in accordance with international standards, as well as the differentiation of functions and competencies between local government and self-government bodies, including in terms of their budgeting mechanisms.

The purpose of the study is to study the possibilities of forming an alliance of higher education (HE) and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Kazakhstan, as well as the problems associated with this process.

Methodology. As research methods, a generalization of world and Kazakhstani literature on the issues of integration of various forms of education and directly HE and TVET, comparative analysis, observation and critical analysis of problems were used.

Originality / value of the research. In recent decades, the issue of forming alliances of higher education and vocational education has become particularly relevant. The main aspects of the issue are the problems of coherence of curricula, a smooth transition from one level to another within the framework of a single concept of education, the formation of uniform professional competencies among graduates in order to increase their demand in the labor market.

Findings. This article discusses the need and opportunities for the formation of an alliance between HE and TVET in Kazakhstan, as well as the problems that educational institutions may face when creating such alliances. The advantages and possible models of forming alliances between levels of education are also presented.

Purpose of the research is to analyze the essence, role and models of universities of the new generation and to identify their modern challenges.

Methodology of the research comprises of the critical review of fundamental and empirical research on entrepreneurial and engaged universities from the Web of Science database, processing and systematization of sources, comparative analysis of university models.

Originality / value of the research. The results of the research can be used by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, higher educational institutions, as well as other stakeholders and the general public.

Findings – the article analyzes the most popular sources from the Web of Science database, dedicated to entrepreneurial and engaged universities in the framework of the Triple helix. The author identified the factors that affect their formation and development, consequently the comparative analysis of these two models was conducted.