The strategical objective in the sphere of innovation policy of the Region consists in creation of the system of innovative development of Gomel Region, which shall consolidate and coordinate the activity of the innovative enterprises, scientific organizations, innovative infrastructure subjects and information analysis centres for the purpose of creation of favourable conditions for development of the science and continuous increase of the technological level of production. The creation of such a system will make it possible to solve the problems of the social and economic development of the region.

The main priority in the innovative development of the Region is the development of the facilities with deep processing of the raw materials, primarily in the fuel, chemical, timber, woodworking and pulp-and-paper industry.

The implementation of the programme measures will make it possible to achieve by the year 2010 the share of certified products in the total volume of the industrial production of the Region of 73.0 per cent.

Gomel Region has considerable industrial and scientific-and technical potential and is one of highly developed scientific and industrial regions of Belarus. On the territory of the Region, there are more than 320 large- and medium-scale industrial enterprises, the share of which in the volume of the industrial production of the Republic is about 17 per cent. The scientific and technical sector includes 3 institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 8 higher educational institutions and more that 20 industry research and project institutes and special design bureaus.

Gomel Regional Executive Committee carry out the continuous work aimed at the improvement of efficiency of utilization of the scientific and industrial potential of the region.

For the purpose of strengthening of the influence of the local executive authorities on solving the problems related to the development of the science in Gomel Region, the Scientific and Technical Council was created at the Regional Executive Committee by the Decision of the Regional Executive Committee No.175 dated March 19, 1998. The staff of the above Council includes the leading scientists and specialists of the scientific institutions, higher educational institutions and organizations as well as managers and specialists, organs of local government and self-government authorities, social associations acting on the territory of the Region.

The regional scientific and technical program of the Gomel Region for the years 2006-2010 shall become one of the instruments for promotion of the steady economic growth of the region in the years 2007-2010, rise in the level of the competitiveness of the Region’s economy and improvement of the standard of life of the population on the basis of the development and efficient use of the scientific and technical potential.

The implementation of a similar programme in the years 1999-2005 has shown that the programme is an effective mechanism for improving the efficiency of utilization of the results of R&D works in the Region’s economy. For this period there were fulfilled 20 tasks that resulted in creation of 16 objects of new machinery. Their novelty has been confirmed by 8 obtained patents and 5 pending ones.

The users of scientific and technical produce developed within the framework of fulfilment of the tasks of the Programme are 22 organizations of the Region, including Gomselmash Production Association, Belarusneft Production Association, Gomeldrev Open Joint-Stock Company, Gomel Fat Production Complex, Diaproyector Plant (Rogachov), Zhitkovichi Motor Building Plant, Gomel Regional Clinical Cardiological Dispensary, Gomel Forestry Production Association, Committee for Economy at the Regional Executive Committee, Department of the Housing and Communal Services and Health Protection Department of the Regional Executive Committee, etc.

The total volume of sales of the products manufactured for the years 2001-2005 with the use of the results of fulfilment of the tasks of the Programme has amounted to 490.1 thousand US dollars while the expenses of the Republican Budget’s funds for financing the development works on these tasks of 285.1 thousand US dollars.

The most important directions of the scientific-and-technical activities for the Region for the years 2007-2010 are determined as follows:

1. Development and creation of the resource-saving and energy-efficient technologies for manufacturing of competitive products;
2. Reduction of material intensity of the industrial products, development of new materials and energy sources including the import-substituting ones;
3. Increase of the innovation susceptibility of utility organizations of the agricultural sector, processing industry, building complex and municipal economy;
4. Development of the information and telecommunication technologies;
5. Development of the technologies for production, processing and storage of agricultural products;
6. Improvement of the ecological situation in the region and creation of the efficient nature management technologies;
7. Improvement of the medical services for the population.

The fulfilment of the tasks of the RSTP of Gomel Region will result in creating at least three objects of new machinery per year within the period 2006-2010. At the cost of their introduction into the production, the new products to the amount of at least five-ten roubles will be manufactured per each rouble of the budgetary funds assigned for the development works.

Here, the economic effect will be achieved not only at the cost of selling these products, tax and other deductions to the budget, but also at the cost of import substitution and lower cost of the domestic products in comparison with the foreign analogues.

A number of tasks of the Programme will have the social nature of ecological and medical orientation.

The implementation of the RSTP of Gomel Region will make it possible to:

1. ensure the development of advanced import-substituting technologies and introduction them into the economic complex of the region;
2. create the new export-oriented production facilities;
3. reduce the consumption of energy resources and the costs of production;
4. increase the utilization of the production facilities of the enterprises including the utility ones;
5. increase the employment of the population of the Region by creating new workplaces at the enterprises participating in the fulfilment of the Programme’s tasks;
6. improve the ecological situation and living conditions of the Region’s population.

The forecasted amount of financing of the programme for years 2006-2010 will be 6,700 million roubles, including that at the cost of the Republican Budget’s funds to the amount of 2,800 million roubles, funds of the Innovative Foundation of Gomel Regional Executive Committee – 1,500 million roubles and of the off-budget sources – 2,400 million roubles.

An important instrument for supporting the technological development of the Region’s utility organizations is the Innovative Foundation of the Regional Executive Committee, which is formed in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus on the budget of the Republic of Belarus and decision of Gomel Regional Council of Deputies on the budget of Gomel Region. The main directions of use of the Innovation Foundation’s funds, as determined by the Instruction on the Procedure of Inclusion, Directions and Purposes of Use of the Innovation Foundation’s Funds approved by the decision of Gomel Regional Executive Committee No. 472 dated June 30, 2005 are as follows:

1. Financing the tasks of the state, sectorial and regional scientific and technical programmes and innovative projects;
2. Performing the works for preparing and launching of the manufacture of new kinds of the science-intensive products aimed at the implementation of the priority intersectorial and sectorial scientific and technical orientations;
3. Creation and development of the facilities based on the new and high technologies;
4. Financing the energy-saving programmes, measuring for introducing the new energy-efficient technologies and equipment as well as the expenses for implementation of international projects in the energy-saving field with the participation of the Republic of Belarus;
5. Construction and reconstruction of buildings, engineering and transportation services and structures (except for overhaul) related to the directions of use of the Innovation Foundation;
6. Acquisition of the equipment, machines and mechanisms related to the directions of use of the Innovation Foundation;
7. Carrying out the marketing investigations and works in the field of the standardization and certification of the products (works, services), quality systems, ensuring the traceability, advertisement and publishing activities related to the directions of use of the Innovation Foundation;
8. Development of the scientific and technical information, works in the field of organization and promotion of the inventive and rationalization activity, holding the scientific and scientific-and-practical measures (conferences, workshops, exhibitions), etc.
9. For the last three years, a number of innovative projects have been implemented at the cost of the funds of the regional Innovation Foundation. They were the projects for development of the design documentation and organization of the full-scale production of mobile sprinkling machines, creation of the automated system for accounting the non-residential stock, development of new software for automation of the work of the Accident Registration Bureau, for development of the forecast of the scientific and technical progress of Gomel Region, etc. Besides, the works for preparing and launching the manufacture of new kinds of products and introduction of new technologies into the industry, in particular, for commissioning the sorting stations in 15 districts of Gomel Region, re-equipment of boiler houses for using the of local kinds of fuel, technical retrofitting of the enterprises of the food and processing branch, etc.

In 2005, the expenditure side of the Innovation Foundation of the Regional Executive Committee was 5 billion roubles, of which the expenses for carrying out the scientific research and development works and those for preparing and launching the production of new kinds of the science-intensive products amounted about 1.5 billion roubles.

In the years 2007-2010, the funds of the Innovation Foundation of Gomel Regional Executive Committee will be also one of the main and sufficiently efficient sources of financing of the measures for technological development of the organizations of communal property and with the share of communal property of the Gomel Region.

The problem of the lack of the developed innovative infrastructure (technological parks, venture funds and other innovation structures) is rather acute for Gomel Region as well as for other regions of the Republic. Therefore, one of the tasks of the innovative development of the region will be expansion of the innovative infrastructure in the field.

At present, the following entities and institutions function in Gomel: Gomel Business Innovation Centre Closed Joint-Stock Company created in 1999 with the participation of the Regional Executive Committee on the basis of Gomel State Technical University named after Sukhoy as well as regional branches of the Republican Technology Transfer Centre operating at Gomel State University named after F.Skoryna, Centre of Scientific, Technical and Business Information Republican Unitary Enterprise, Santep Open Joint-Stock Company, Eridan Limited Liability Company.

The distinguishing characteristic of Gomel Business Innovation Centre consists in carrying out its activity at a higher educational institution. The operation of such a centre at a higher educational institution makes it possible to ensure the transfer of new technologies and scientific developments created by workers of the institution, to attract students to the innovative activities and creates the conditions for their practical training at the enterprises operating in the business incubator.

Business Centre cooperates with innovative companies and state enterprises providing them with the assistance in promoting their commercial achievements and investment projects. Besides, Gomel Business Innovation Centre Closed Joint-Stock Company is a resident of Gomel-Raton Free Economic Zone that grants certain tax benefit to the Centre.

The further development of the regional innovative infrastructure proposes the creation and organization of operation within the period 2007-2010 of Gomel Scientific and Technological Park. Here, for the purpose of implementation of the state scientific and technical policy and coordination of the innovative activities, Regional Executive Committee will be the main founder of the Technological Park.

It is planned to accommodate this structure at Gomel-Raton Free Economic Zone, on the territory of which a number of enterprises concerned with carrying out the scientific and technical research works and introducing the results of these works into the production are located. Besides, creation of the Technological Park in Gomel-Raton Free Economic Zone will be an additional factor promoting the innovative activities in the Region. The innovative organizations can be registered as residents of Gomel-Raton Free Economic Zone provided they meet the necessary requirements and will be entitled to use the privileges and preferences provided.

In 2006, a part of the building of former Raton Special Design and Technological Office Republican Scientific and Production Unitary Enterprise will be transferred from the republican ownership to the communal one for the purpose of contribution of the same to the authorized fund of the Technological Park. According to the draft estimate documents, the amount of about 6,4 billion roubles is necessary for reconstruction of the premises to be transferred. For this purpose, it is planned to attract not only the funds of the regional budget and Innovation Foundation of the Regional Executive Committee, but also those of the Republican Budget by including the object in the State Investment Programme.

The information support of the scientific, scientific-and-technical and innovative activities of the organizations of Gomel Region in the years 2007-2010 will be provided by Centre of Scientific, Technical and Business Information Republican Unitary Enterprise, the principal functions of which are as follows:

1. Collection, systematization and preparation of the information on the problems of the innovative development of the region, tasks and applications of the governmental authorities and budgetary organizations as well as revealing the problems requiring the integrated solution and ensuring the transfer of technologies in the region;
2. Analysis of the technological needs of the organizations of the real economy sector of the Gomel Region, providing the state run public authorities with the respective analytical information;
3. Scientific and technological provision and support of the innovative development of small and medium towns of the Gomel Region;
4. Development, introduction and support of information technologies, coordination of the works for creating the information resources and systems in the region including the information resources of the state run public authorities and of the organizations.

Gomel Branch of National Academy of Science of Belarus was created in 2006 for the purpose of coordination and organizational support of fundamental and applied scientific research and development works as well as innovative development.

The main tasks of the branch for the years 2007-2010 are determined as follows:

1. Studying and solving the actual problems of the economical and social development of the Republic and Region and consolidation of the financial, material and scientific potential of the region for this purpose;
2. Solving the problems of the environment condition, population’s health as well as the social and economic development of the radioactively contaminated areas having suffered due to the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
3. Increase of the efficiency of utilization of results of the scientific research and development works in the industry and agriculture, social sphere, in the transport and communication sector as well as solving the scientific and technical problems of the organizations of the Region;
4. Training the highest-qualification specialists and scientific personnel, strengthening of the influence of the science on the quality of education and cultural level of the population.

The long-term plan of the development of utility organizations of Gomel Region for the years 2007-2010 covers 23 object. For the five-year period, it is planned to create one new utility enterprise and 16 new facilities at the operating enterprises, and to upgrade 6 of the operating facilities on the basis of introduction of the advanced technologies.

Additionally, it will be created 302 workplaces, of which 249 will be in small towns and villages.

Implementation of these measured will make it possible to upgrade essentially the real sector of the Region’s economy and launch the manufacture of new competitive products.

The total amount of financing of the works for creating new enterprises and new production facilities at the operating enterprises as well as modernization of the operating facilities in the years 2007-2010 will be 272,612.6 million roubles, including that from the Republican Budget’s funds to the amount of 74,070.0 million roubles, from the local budget – to the amount of 53,819.0 million roubles, at the cost of bank credits – 73,030.0 million roubles, at the cost of loans – 13,000.0 million roubles and from the own funds of the organizations – 58,693.6 million roubles.