The center is being established on the instructions of the head of state with the participation of research institutes of the European Union. Construction of the laboratory complex is planned to begin next year, with the center expected to be fully operational by the end of 2028, Kazinform reports.

The gist in brief

• The center will have three laboratories: geochemical, arbitration, and scientific-metallurgical.
• The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) helped prepare a preliminary feasibility study; construction of the complex is expected to be supported by the European Commission.
• Construction will begin in 2027, with the center expected to be fully operational by the end of 2028.
• The construction site and the specific EU institutes are not named in the report.

What is planned to be created

According to Saparbekov, the center is to develop research and technologies for processing rare earth metals, as well as help expand in Kazakhstan the processing of raw materials and the production of goods with higher added value.

The center provides for three laboratories: geochemical, arbitration, and scientific-metallurgical, but their tasks are not described in the report. The EBRD supported the preparation of a preliminary feasibility study, and support from the European Commission is expected for the construction of the laboratory complex. Which specific EU institutes are participating in the project is not specified in the report.

What happened earlier

A regional center for rare and rare earth metals had been discussed before. In August 2025, the issue was discussed at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov: the creation of the center was ordered by the president in spring 2025, and the National Center for Technological Forecasting was named as its basis. Whether this is the same center or not is not stated in the current report. The connection with the separately discussed joint research center with the Belgian university KU Leuven is also not clarified.

The statement was made during the state visit of the Belgian royal family to Kazakhstan. As Kazinform notes, Kazakhstan already supplies molybdenum ores and titanium to Belgium, and trade turnover in the first eight months of 2026 grew by 9% and amounted to $353.1 million.

What this means for Kazakhstan

The center fits into the policy of processing instead of exporting raw materials: Kazakhstan wants to move from selling rare earth raw materials to processing them. More than 120 rare earth metal deposits have been identified in the country. Based on the results of geological exploration in 2024-2025, 935,400 tonnes of inferred resources were identified, that is, estimates for promising areas rather than approved reserves. Cooperation with the EU is proceeding under a memorandum signed on November 7, 2022, and a plan for 2025-2026. A practical example of processing already exists: in Stepnogorsk, the Australian company Lindian Resources is investing $150 million in a plant that will process concentrate from Malawi, not Kazakh raw materials. Kazakh raw materials for this plant are still only being considered.

Author's conclusion

For now, this is a plan with specific deadlines, but without a site and without named European partners: only EBRD support at the feasibility study stage and expected assistance from the European Commission for construction are known. The indicator will be the start of construction next year and which institute and in which city will become the base of the center.