Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 December (BelTA) – Apart from reflecting peculiarities of Belarus’ development in the future the draft strategy Science and Technologies: 2018-2040 also preserves the country’s value priorities of the first half of the 21 century: the draft document is designed to take care of people, develop their personal potential, and enable the intellectualization of the society. The opinion was offered by Nikolai Shchekin, Head of the Political and Economic Sociology Center at the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, a delegate of the second congress of Belarusian scientists, BelTA has learned.

Nikolai Shchekin said: “A new book about Belarusian science is being written today. The format of the event demonstrates the openness of the dialogue and the responsibility of the government before scientists and the responsibility of scientists before people. The draft strategy Science and Technologies: 2018-2040 just like the draft resolution of the congress will give a new impulse to the development of intellectual Belarus. I am particularly glad that the instruments the strategy stipulates are based on the best traditions of the nation and Belarusian science while focusing heavily on innovations and technologies. All the prospects of the future IT country are primarily related to the person, to the development of the personal potential of the citizen, the patriot, and the overall intellectualization of the society.”

According to Nikolai Shchekin, Section 3.3 Sociocultural Contour of Intellectual Economy and Section 4.1 Development of Human Resources Potential are particularly important for building a model of the future based on sociocultural experience, peculiarities of the Christian civilization. “It is in these chapters that the role of the person acquires a special status in conditions of the constantly modernized society. It is necessary to come up with a model to unite science and economy on the basis of conventional moral principles. Because scientists represent a special caste of our society,” said Nikolai Shchekin.

The strategy on Belarus’ scientific and technological development in the long-term is supposed to secure access to new high-tech markets, increase the science content in the GDP, and improve results of R&D efforts. All of it will allow Belarus to respond to global challenges in the future. “It is necessary to accumulate the scientific potential and channel it into tackling concrete tasks of the country’s social and economic development. A constructive international dialogue about scientific research is extremely important in this regard. It is important to prevent double standards in this field. National and historical peculiarities of every country in implementing R&D and innovative programs and projects should be respected,” stressed the source. He mentioned the special role the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Supreme Personnel Review Board, and the leading educational and scientific center — the Belarusian State University — will play in these processes.