North Dakota State University has been approved to be part of the Kazakhstan government's Bolashak Science Intern Program. The program covers all expenses for Kazakhstan university faculty to go to foreign universities and conduct research.

An NDSU delegation made up of D.C. Coston, vice president for agriculture and university extension; Kerri Spiering, associate vice president for equity, diversity, and global outreach; David Wittrock, dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies; and David Saxowsky, chair of agribusiness and applied economics, traveled to Kazakhstan this past June with officials from the North Dakota Trade Office. The delegation met with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Bolashak Program and various universities to develop collaboration and trade opportunities between the university, state and Kazakhstan.

Last fall, a proposal for NDSU to become an approved school in the Bolashak Program was submitted to program officials and the Ministry of Education. Since NDSU has been approved, the Bolashak Program has started sending resumes and research proposals from people in various academic disciplines interested in coming to NDSU to conduct research.