Science and Innovation
Modern Belarusian science is a powerful intellectual industry, developing with an eye on practice and application of research results to all the spheres of national economy. Recommendations of scientists formed the basis of important national programs on nuclear power engineering, outer space, resource-saving technologies, rural and small town development in Belarus.
Belarus is one of the scientific leaders with a high level of scientific and technological development. In recent years, it has managed to preserve and strengthen the scientific potential of the country.
As at the end of 2017 there are accredited 222 scientific organizations in the republic, including:
76 organizations of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 36 of the Ministry of Education, 25 of the Ministry of Health, 13 of the Ministry of Industry, 9 of the State Military Committee, 63 organizations of other departmental subordination. The proportion of people employed in research and development is about 0.6% of those employed in the economy. The number of researchers was 1776 people per 1 million inhabitants in 2016.
Priority areas of scientific research of the Republic of Belarus are determined according to the results of the state assessment and forecasts of scientific and technological development of the republic in order to concentrate state resources in scientific research that are fundamental for implementation of socio-economic development priorities and priority areas of scientific and technical activities, the development of new technological processes, high-tech and competitive products.
Priority areas of research are developed by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and are the reason for the distribution of funds of the republican and local budgets allocated for scientific activities.
A special place in the innovation infrastructure belongs to research and development centers that make interaction between science and technology more efficient. Scientific activity aims to upgrade the manufacturing industry, create the innovative economy and set up new production facilities of the fifth and sixth technological setup.
The Belarusian innovation development program prioritizes resource-saving and energy-efficient technologies, industrial biotechnologies, nanomaterials and new energy sources, medicine and pharmaceutics, information and aerospace solutions, technologies to manufacture, refine and store agricultural produce, environmental protection and rational use of natural resources.
Much attention is paid to information support of science and innovations.
The database "Scientists of Belarus"
was created by the largest libraries of the republic. This is a corporate factual information resource that contains data on people with a degree of candidate or doctor, academic titles; scientific workers and professors of universities, – authors of scientific publications; information on scientific organizations and their structural units, as well as higher educational institutions, where scientists are employed.
Information on Belarusian scientists and specialists in the scientific and technical area: biographies, sphere of scientific and industrial activity, achievements, awards, list of main scientific publications, bibliographic descriptions of patents for inventions and utility models of the Republic of Belarus are presented in the database of the Republican Scientific and Technical Library "Inventors of Belarus".
In order to develop cooperation of fellow scientists working in Belarus and abroad, a virtual project "Belarusian scientists abroad" is presented at the National Scientific and Technical Portal of the Republic of Belarus,
2017 in Belarus is declared the Year of Science.
The activity in the sphere of science and innovation is regulated by the following laws of the Republic of Belarus: On Scientific Activity; On the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; On Fundamentals of State Scientific and Technical Policy.