[5] Nur Alem itself is located in the epicenter of technological innovation, where young investors can develop start-up projects, research scientific inventions and implement their business ideas.

[citation needed] Designs were considered for the grounds of Expo 2017 from architects in the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and China.

[15] Over 100 companies, including Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Snøhetta, HOK, and Coop Himmelb(l)au, participated in a competition to design the grounds of Expo 2017.

[20] U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal announced in November 2016 at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, D.C. that APCO Worldwide, a global communications consultancy, was selected as the chief organizing partner for the U.S. Pavilion Archived 2017-09-01 at the Wayback Machine at EXPO 2017.

The list of educational programs from 2020 is as follows: Software Engineering, Big data analysis, Computer science, Industrial automation, Media technologies, Cybersecurity, Telecommunication systems, IT Management and Digital journalism.

In the state competition grants, it is necessary to select a group of educational programs for an identical combination of core subjects of the Unified National Testing, and for the educational program "Digital Journalism" the results of creative exams and 2 subjects of the Unified National Testing (reading literacy and history of Kazakhstan) are taken into account.

[53] On 1 July 2010, during the 147th session of the General Assembly of the BIE, held in Paris, Kazakhstan announced its intention to participate in the bidding process to host the International Specialized Exhibition at Astana in 2017, hence giving cities with counter-bids six months to respond.

On June 15, 2013, the French government and solar energy partners in France teamed up with the Expo 2017 organizing committee to sponsor the Sun Trip.

The policy of ambitious structuring projects, orchestrated by the public authorities and supported by businesses, universities and institutes, is giving the Liege region a new lease of life.

The district is also the seat of world-renowned companies, such as AB InBev, Mittal, Umicore, FN Herstal, Techspace Aero, EVS Broadcast, Amos or Eurogentec.

Most of them have prompted the emergence of competence clusters in areas in which Liege excels: aeronautics, the metalworking industry and mechanics, space, biotechnologies, information technologies, or again, agrifood.

The city wants to build on this positive momentum to organise an event with an international scope that will constitute the crowning achievement of the economic and urban reconversion strategy of the Liege Region.

Specifics of the proposal included "saving the Saint Lawrence River" and revisiting the Habitat 67 housing concept that had featured as a prototype for Expo 67.

The Expo 17 group, after announcing its withdrawal from Montreal,[66] committed itself to promoting alternative sesquicentennial events, particularly of pronounced social and environmental value.

The cities of Ottawa[67] and Hamilton, Ontario[68] explored the possibility of an expo in 2017, but declined to submit a proposal to the Department of Canadian Heritage.

In the spring of 2009, the Department of Canadian Heritage, informed cities in Canada that any interest in staging an Expo in 2017 would have to be expressed with a Letter of Intent before May 29, 2009[69] followed by a full proposal no later than November 30, 2009.

Albertan rival Calgary also submitted a letter of intent in late May just before the filing deadline,[70] surprising the Edmonton bid committee and igniting intra-provincial tensions.

[72] Themes suggested for Edmonton such as "A New Silk Road: Trade and Commerce", championed by MLA Gary Mar and city councillor Mike Nickel,[73] indicating a commercial approach, but the proposed expo later decided to shift the focus to energy and environmental concerns, with the theme "Harmony of Energy and Our Future Planet".

The bid organizers estimated costs to total C$2.3 billion to be funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments as well as private sector sponsorship.

News broke on November 22, 2010 that the federal government had declined to approve funds for the Expo – estimated at C$706 million, stating that the project was far too expensive and financially risky.

Edmonton's mayor Stephen Mandel was shocked and said "I've never been as mad at anything and just so disappointed in the lack of vision of a government… This decision is frankly wrong and extremely short-sighted".