OREANDA-NEWS. April 29, 2011. Belarus is planning to set up innovative holding companies in the next five years, the Chairman of the State Science and Technology Committee of Belarus Igor Voitov told media in Minsk.

The issues regarding the development of scientific and technological activities in Belarus over the next five years are considered at a meeting of the Commission for state science and technology policy at the Council of Ministers.

“We are looking into the creation of innovative holding companies. In the next five years we are going to create 16 holding companies in such industries as casting, machine building, household appliances, etc., under the Industry Ministry, National Academy of Sciences, universities,” Igor Voitov said.

Igor Voitov praised the results of scientific and technical activities in Belarus in the last five years. “We got 28 rubles of revenue per one ruble invested in science and technology, which is very high. Now we are developing complex science and technology programs (all in all 12 of them will be implemented in the next five years) and state science and technology programs (all in all 28). The major goal is to reach higher results in innovation,” he said.

To do this, we are planning to carry out programs in chemical, nano- and biotechnology, industrial and construction technology, agro-technology. Big challenges will be addressed in the program “Defense and national security”. More than one thousand assignments will be implemented within the framework of these programs within the next five years. Work will be continued on social projects - in medicine, pharmacology. Special attention will be devoted to innovation in nature management, resource-saving, protection against emergencies. Among the new areas are projects in information and communication technologies, aerospace technologies and equipment, new materials. Particular emphasis will be placed on projects in the fields of power engineering, including nuclear energy.

The main focus of the programs is made on the development of new sectors of economy, new knowledge, new productions of 5 and 6 of technological paradigms. At the same time the work will be continued in traditional industries such agriculture, farm machine building, and others, Igor Voitov said.

Igor Voitov also said that the strategy of intellectual property protection for the period up to 2020 has been prepared in Belarus.

The document had been coordinated with all public administration bodies, approved by the experts of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The Government is expected to endorse the strategy in the near future. “Much work has been done, we have used all best practices regarding intellectual property rights. It will give a strong impetus to the protection and commercialization of intellectual property,” Igor Voitov said.

He stressed that intellectual property is an important resource to develop national economy. Many countries have stepped up efforts to commercialize intellectual property items. Belarus’ National Center of Intellectual Property is responsible for the commercialization as well as the protection of intellectual property rights. The organization also engages intellectual property items in business circulation and reaps profits from such projects. However, it is not enough. In order to solve the problem of intellectual property protection and its commercialization the State Committee for Science and Technology has prepared a number of proposals.