This study explores the relationship between higher education governance reforms in Kazakhstan and the development of university research capacities. Along this aim, three pressing issues have been identified that were investigated as three research questions: (i) what are the main higher education governance reforms over the last two decades?; (ii) how HEIs in Kazakhstan respond to and implement governance reforms within their university governance structure?; (iii) what are the influences of higher education governance reform on the development of research activities at universities? Policy analysis to address research question one and semi-structured interviews at three case universities to address research questions two and three, were selected as instruments embedded in our broader explanatory case, and collectively helped us to understand different conditions of national higher education governance and university responses that can be responsible for good or poor university research results.