The authors of the best projects of the «CYCLELAB» competition were awarded at ENU

At L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, a ceremonial awarding of the winners of the student project competition “CYCLELAB: Ecology of the Future” was held as part of the university’s 30th anniversary celebrations. The event took place within the framework of the national environmental campaign Taza Qazaqstan and highlighted ENU’s contribution to advancing a sustainable future.

The competition was organized by the Association of Secondary Raw Materials Recyclers of Kazakhstan and Zhasyl Damu JSC, with co-organization by ENU’s Center for Sustainable Development. The генераль sponsor was Bank CenterCredit. The ceremony was attended by Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhomart Aliyev.

The competition brought together students from colleges and universities in Astana, Akmola and Karaganda regions. Participants presented projects in key areas ranging from waste recycling and smart sorting to digital solutions and environmental education.

Following the selection process, the strongest teams with innovative and practice-oriented solutions were announced as winners. A particular source of pride for ENU in its юбилей year is that two prize-winning places were secured by ENU students, demonstrating the university’s strong academic and research potential:

1st place - 1,500,000 KZT.      
“ReLife” project (Astana Medical University, Dias Yegimbayev and Abylai Kumisbek) - recycling medical plastic waste into construction materials through a closed-loop system.

2nd place - 600,000 KZT.       
“DualValue Carbon” (ENU, Suleimen Bakytov) - technology for converting PET plastic into a carbon matrix for sodium-selenium batteries.

2nd place - 600,000 KZT        
“EcoKids” (Nazarbayev University, Zhasulan Toleubekov) - an educational platform fostering environmental awareness among children.

3rd place - 500,000 KZT.        
“Coil Soil” (Karaganda Buketov University, Yulia Kulikova and Violetta Gapich) - переработка ash and organic waste into compost.

3rd place - 500,000 KZT.        
“QarEnergy” (ENU, Samira Akhmetova, Aidana Akparova, Gulnaz Ydyrys) - an innovative system for generating electricity using temperature differences.

Thus, projects by students of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University not only ranked among the best but also demonstrated practical solutions for the green economy—especially symbolic in the year of the university’s 30th anniversary.

Special thanks are extended to the competition partners - Zhasyl Damu JSC, the Association of Secondary Raw Materials Recyclers of Kazakhstan, and Bank CenterCredit - for supporting youth initiatives, promoting environmental culture, and contributing to a sustainable future.

The “CYCLELAB: Ecology of the Future” competition has become an important part of ENU’s anniversary events, aimed at supporting talented youth and developing practical solutions in sustainable development. In the future, the university, together with its partners, plans to expand such initiatives and strengthen collaboration between academia, education, and business.