ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROJECT

Project Title: Legal Regulation of the Operation and Safety Assurance of Hydraulic Structures under Sustainable Development Conditions

Project Objective: The objective of the project is to determine the legal nature of hydraulic structures within the framework of sustainable development in the Republic of Kazakhstan under modern conditions; to develop and substantiate conceptual foundations, conclusions, and practical recommendations for improving legislation and the state legal mechanism governing the construction, operation, and commissioning of hydraulic structures; and to prevent risks to human life, health, and the environment through ensuring the safety of hydraulic structures.

Website: https://gtslaw.kz/?lang=en

The main purpose of the website is to ensure public access to information on the implementation progress and key outcomes of the research project AP26193915 “Legal Regulation of the Operation and Safety Assurance of Hydraulic Structures under Sustainable Development Conditions,” funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.The website provides information on the project’s goals and objectives, scientific novelty, research stages, published scientific works, conducted events, conferences and seminars, as well as the activities of the project team. In addition, the website serves as a platform for the exchange of scientific information on issues related to the safety, operation, and legal regulation of hydraulic structures and facilitates the practical implementation of research results.

Research Objectives

The stated objective determined the following key research tasks:

1. To determine the place and legal nature of the norms regulating the operation and safety assurance of hydraulic structures within the legal system of the Republic of Kazakhstan under sustainable development conditions, and to substantiate the legal status of their objects and subjects.
2. To conduct a legal analysis of the historical formation and development of norms regulating the construction, operation, and commissioning of hydraulic structures; to propose principles for the legal support of hydraulic structures in the context of environmental safety under modern conditions; and to develop a new classification of hydraulic structures.
3. To conduct a review of scientific literature concerning the legal regime of hydraulic structures.
4. To study the state legal mechanism regulating the construction, operation, and commissioning of hydraulic structures in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
5. To determine the legal status of owners of hydraulic structures in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
6. To propose organizational and legal mechanisms for monitoring hydraulic structures in the context of digitalization.
7. To develop legal instruments for the application of artificial intelligence in the operation of hydraulic structures.
8. To draft a Law “On Hydraulic Structures”.
9. To propose legal instruments for improving international cooperation in the design, construction, operation, and commissioning of hydraulic structures.

Project Idea

The research project is aimed at conducting a comprehensive scientific study of the legal regulation of hydraulic structure operation under sustainable development conditions in the Republic of Kazakhstan; analyzing national and foreign regulatory legal acts in this field; identifying existing gaps and developing measures to eliminate them; and preparing proposals and conclusions aimed at improving national legislation and practice in the field of hydraulic structure safety assurance.

Expected Results

• Publication of at least two (2) articles and/or review papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index of the Web of Science database and ranked in the first (Q1) and/or second (Q2) quartile by impact factor, and/or in journals with a CiteScore percentile of at least 50 in the Scopus database.
• Publication of at least four (4) articles or review papers in peer-reviewed foreign or domestic journals recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education (CQASHE). At least one publication must be published in the multidisciplinary category (multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary practical application). For domestic journals not classified as multidisciplinary, journals indexed in two or more categories within the CQASHE list shall be considered.
• Training of at least one (1) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or professional doctorate holder (joint training with a higher education institution licensed to provide postgraduate doctoral education is permitted). The dissertation may be defended no later than two years after the completion of the project.
• If there is no license for doctoral education, at least two (2) individuals must complete a postdoctoral training program in accordance with Article 37 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 319-III “On Education” dated July 27, 2007, provided that each publishes at least two (2) articles in journals recommended by CQASHE.
• Publication of at least one monograph or textbook by foreign and/or Kazakhstani publishing houses.
• Preparation and presentation of scientific reports at scientific conferences and forums.
• Obtaining at least two certificates of authorship (copyright certificates).
• Organization of a scientific-theoretical conference entitled “Legal Regulation of the Operation and Safety Assurance of Hydraulic Structures under Sustainable Development Conditions in the Republic of Kazakhstan” at the final stage of the research project to disseminate the knowledge and results obtained during the implementation of the project.
• Development of a draft Law “On Hydraulic Structures”.
• Development of one electronic educational textbook corresponding to the project topic.