MINSK, 2 November (BelTA) – A contest of joint Belarusian-Chinese R&D projects is expected to take place at the beginning of 2018, Chairman of the State Committee for Science and Technology of Belarus Alexander Shumilin said at the opening of the 4th Belarusian-Chinese Youth Innovative Forum New Horizons 2017, BelTA has learned.
The best projects, including those of the best young scientists from Belarus and China, will get financial support depending on the results of the contest. According to the chairman of the committee, the forum will help strengthen contacts between young people and find potential partners for the promotion and implementation of joint research projects in various fields.
Alexander Shumilin also mentioned a number of examples of the Belarusian-Chinese scientific cooperation. To support youth and student startup projects, the State Committee for Science and Technology of Belarus and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China have agreed to set up the Chinese-Belarusian Center for the Incubation of Innovative Projects at the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park Great Stone and the Belarusian National Technical University. The model of setting up the center will consist of three stages. During the first stage plans have been made to compile a list of innovative projects and implement them at the center, including a startup center, an expert council, a co-working center and a rapid prototyping lab. The second stage envisages the establishment of new innovative organizations and their development on the basis of promising innovative projects. The next stage envisages the foundation of high-tech production facilities and their support at the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park Great Stone.
Documents concerning the launch of the facility to produce phytosalts with a reduced amount of sodium chloride (on Belarus’ behalf the project is implemented by the unitary enterprise Unitekhprom BGU) are being harmonized. Huawei’s work to set up a joint R&D center in Belarus is in progress. This will be the 16th R&D center of Huawei in the world.
Alexander Shumilin reminded that on 23-25 May 2017 Minsk hosted the 2nd forum of the association of sci-tech parks, zones of advanced and new technologies Silk Road. During the forum the sides signed an agreement on the establishment of the international Belarusian-Chinese technology transfer center, three documents on cooperation between Belarusian and Chinese innovative infrastructure subjects.