R&D efforts in Belarus in 2016-2020 to focus on nanoindustry, new materials

Nanoindustry and new materials will be some of the priority avenues for R&D efforts in Belarus in 2016-2020. The statement was made by Chairman of the State Science and Technology Committee of Belarus Alexander Shumilin at the opening ceremony of the 9th international science and technology conference “Modern methods and technologies to create and process materials,” BelTA has learned.

The Committee’s press service quoted Alexander Shumilin as saying that for the sake of putting together a strategy to develop science and innovation efforts in the next five-year term it is important to wisely determine R&D priorities. Instead of industries R&D efforts should focus on technologies for the sake of concentrating resources primarily on cutting-edge enterprises, including nanotechnologies and new materials. “For the sake of improving the effectiveness of using state resources in carrying out the most important scientific and technical development tasks it is necessary to actualize the topics of ongoing programs, enlarge some tasks, and reduce the list of priority R&D avenues,” said the official.

The press service of the State Science and Technology Committee reminded that nine priority R&D avenues had been approved by the relevant decree of the Belarus president for 2011-2015. The number includes power engineering and energy saving; agribusiness technologies and enterprises; industrial and construction technologies and enterprises; medicine, medical tools and technologies, pharmaceutics; chemical technologies, nanotechnologies, and biotechnologies; information, communication and aerospace technologies; new materials; rational nature management, resource saving, and protection from emergencies; defense and national security. The State Science and Technology Committee is now busy developing a new list of priority R&D avenues. The new avenues comply with requirements of the continuity of the innovation cycle from fundamental and applied research through development to commercial products and the practical application of R&D efforts. The new priority R&D avenues will continue the advancement secured in the current five-year term, stressed the Chairman of the State Science and Technology Committee of Belarus.

In turn, First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Chizhik noted that the Physics Technology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus operates in line with the standards and principles used by the modern world. “An R&D effort has to target specific customers. The work the institute does is a step into new things. At present it is very difficult to survive by relying on conventional branches of the economy since markets are occupied and competition is high. We, scientists, should think what new industries have to be developed in the near future,” he said.

The 9th international science and technology conference “Modern methods and technologies to create and process materials” is scheduled to take place in the Physics Technology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on 17-19 September. It gathered about 130 researchers and specialists from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Italy, and Pakistan.