Belarusian scientists to implement 200 investment projects in Belbiograd technopark

MINSK, 11 August (BelTA) – Belarusian scientists intend to implement about 200 investment projects in 2015-2021, BelTA learned from Emilia Kolomiyets, Director General of the state R&D group Chemical Synthesis and Biotechnologies, Director of the Microbiology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Emilia Kolomiyets said: “We have certain hopes concerning Belbiograd. The project has been virtually authorized by the Council of Ministers and the presidential decree on Belbiograd will soon be forwarded to the Belarus president for signing.”

She explained that Belbiograd is envisaged as a special technological cluster that will enjoy tax incentives for the sake of implementing projects in the sphere of biotechnologies, nanotechnologies, pharmaceutics, micro and nanosystem machines. According to the scientist, the project has been considered for a long time. It is good that Belbiograd will not have to be created from the ground up. There are rather many research institutions in the area close to the Academic Town district next to the Hi-Tech Park. The number includes the Bioorganic Chemistry Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Physics Technology Institute, the New Materials Chemistry Institute, and the Microbiology Institute. These organizations will become the foundation for creating Belbiograd. Apart from that, these research institutes have their own manufacturing divisions used to make their own products. According to Emilia Kolomiyets, it is a good start for such a systemic effort.

The researcher said that when Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko visited the institute, it was decided that Belbiograd would enjoy the principle of extraterritoriality. The principle will allow companies, institutions, and enterprises from the regions to become Belbiograd residents and start manufacturing projects. However, Emilia Kolomiyets underlined that their projects would have to satisfy a number of special requirements.

In 2013 the Belarusian Economy Ministry did preparatory work to create the national technological cluster Belbiograd. A presidential decree was drafted, a land plot for placing the infrastructure of the Biograd Minsk complex was chosen, preliminary cost-benefit analysis was carried out, and participants of the industrial cluster’s managing company were sketched out. A government conference was held in October 2013. It was decided that upon the initiative of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus the Academy will take care of consequent efforts to create Belbiograd.