The main objective of the innovative development of the Region consists in creation of favourable conditions for the further development of facilities using the local raw materials and operating for the consumer market.

In the years 2007-2010, the works will be continued for strengthening the material and technical basis of the industrial and agricultural production, creating the new technologies for processing and storage of agricultural raw materials and improvement of the existing ones, improvement of the competitiveness of the industrial products and their certification with achievement of compliance with the international quality standards. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 150 dated March 25, 2005 “On the State Programme of Revival and Development of the Village for the Years 2005-2010”, in the years 2006-2010 it is planned to reconstruct 153 milk product farms and provide them with up-to-date process equipment, reconstruct 16 stock-raising complexes for growing and fattening the cattle, 23 stock-raising complexes for fattening pigs and 6 poultry farms.

Ensuring the innovative development of the Region proposes the improvement of the efficiency of utilization of all the components of the science-and-technical and innovative potential, which includes:

1. Three state universities (Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala Educational Institution, Grodno State Medical University Educational Institution and Grodno State Agrarian University Educational Institution);
2. Academic and sectorial scientific-research organizations (Research-and-Development Centre of the Resource-Saving Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus State Scientific Institution, Institute of Pharmacology of Biochemistry of National Academy of Science of Belarus Scientific and Production Centre, Grodno Regional Institute of Crop Production of National Academy of Science of Belarus Republican Unitary Scientific Institution, Grodno Research-and-Development Institute of Nitrogen Industry and Inorganic-Synthesis Products Open Joint-Stock Company);
3. Innovative infrastructure objects (regional department of the Republican Technology Transfer Centre, Scientific and Technological Park of the city of Grodno, Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala Educational Institution, Grodno Centre of Scientific, Technical and Business Information Republican Unitary Enterprise);
4. innovation-active organizations, research and development subdivisions at the organizations of the Region.

The general coordination of the works for implementation of the long-term plan of innovative development of the Region will be exercised by Grodno Regional Executive Committee.

The strategic objective of innovative development of Grodno Region for the years 2007-2010 consists in creating the regional innovative system, which shall consolidate the efforts of the state run public authorities of the Republic, Regional Executive Committee, administration of Grodnoinvest Free Economic Zone, city, town and district executive committees, higher educational institutions, organizations of the scientific and technical sphere and entrepreneurs’ sector of the economy of the region in favour of the accelerated application of achievements of the science and technologies for re-direction of the Region’s Economy to the innovative way of development.

The main tasks of the innovative development of the Region for the years 2007-2010 are:

1. Formation of the organizational, legal and financial mechanisms for management of the development of innovative activities and creation of the favourable environment in the region for the innovative activities;
2. Integration of the resources and subjects of the science, industry and business the innovative activities;
3. Entering into the interregional innovation market and attracting the investments to the innovative sphere;
4. Intensifying the innovative activity of the communal-ownership enterprises.
5. To ensure the implementation of the long-term plan of the innovative development, it is proposed to carry out the following measures:
6. Creation and actualization of the regional information resources and databases on technological, service, managerial, marketing, advertisement and other requests of the organizations of the real economy sector of Grodno Region concerning the availability of the certified unique scientific-research equipment, laboratory complexes, means of diagnostics and non-destructive testing at the universities, scientific-research and industrial organizations of the Region;
7. Analysis of the technological level of the communal-ownership organizations for working-out the recommendations for intensifying their innovative activity, determination of the possibility of determination of the possibility and cost do introduction of the innovations;
8. Preparing and holding the competitions of innovative projects;
9. Organization of promotion of the products manufactured by the innovative enterprises of Grodno Region to the internal and external markets;
10. Ensuring the training and improvement of skills of the personnel for the innovation sphere including those from among the developers of new competitive articles and technologies;
11. Holding the scientific and methodical events (conferences, workshops, round-table discussions, etc.) for the workers of the state structures, developers of new articles and technologies, teachers of innovation specializations, manufacturers and representatives of innovation companies.

Scientific and technical support of the innovative development of the Region will be provided within the framework of the Regional Scientific and Technical Programme “Development of the Technologies and Technical Means Ensuring the Steady Innovative Development of the Industry, Agriculture and Social Sphere of Grodno Region” for the years 2006-2010.

By the year 2010, the internal costs for R&D works will be increased 2.5 times in comparison with the year 2005. The state support of the subjects of innovative activities at the cost of the funds of the budget of the Grodno Region will be provided in the following forms:

1. Change of rates of the taxes to be paid completely to the local budgets;
2. Financing the projects on non-repayable and repayable basis from the Innovation Foundation’s funds of Grodno Regional Executive Committee;
3. Assignment of the means from local budgets for financing partially the measures aimed at the creation the of the innovative infrastructure;
4. Providing the guarantees of the local executive and administrative authorities for the credits to be granted by the banks of the Republic of Belarus;

The long-term plan of the innovative development of the Region for the years 2006-2010 includes 31 measures to be carried out by the communal-ownership organizations without departmental subordination, including 7 organizations of Grodnoinvest Free Economic Zone. For the five-year period, it is planned to create 4 new enterprises, 18 new facilities at the operating enterprises and to upgrade 9 of the operating facilities.

In particular, there will be created new enterprises for manufacturing metallic packaging for the food-canning, confectionary and paint-and-varnish industry (Vogel and Noot Foreign Limited Liability Company), for brewing beer on the basis of Czech technology (Grodno Brewery), for manufacturing the souvenir and packaging products (Caesar-Bel Foreign Private Unitary Production Enterprise).

The new production facilities for producing biological composite diesel fuel based on rapeseed oil and mixed gasoline based on ethanol (Novaya Yelnya Mezhrayagrosnab Open Joint-Stock Company) and for producing high-quality cheeses (Shchuchin Butter and Cheese Factory Open Joint-Stock Company, Novogrudok Butter-Making Complex Open Joint-Stock Company, etc.) will be created with the use of both domestic and foreign technologies. The production of fodder additives and milk substitutes for cattle nutrition (Biokon Limited Liability Company), plants-protection means (Grodnorayagroservis Open Joint-Stock Company) will be set.

It is planned to create the new production facilities for processing and recycling the production waste, in particular, woodworking (New Ecological Projects Private Unitary Enterprise).

The facilities for producing dry milk (Lida Milk-Canning Complex Open Joint-Stock Company), starch (Rogozna Starch Factory Open Joint-Stock Company), summer and dried sausages (Lida Meat Processing and Packing Factory Regional Unitary Enterprise), cabinet and kitchen furniture (ZOVLenEVROMEBEL Joint Limited Liability Company), building materials (Smorgonsilikatbeton Open Joint-Stock Company), etc. will be upgraded on the basis of introduction of the advanced technologies

The work for introducing and application of new and high technologies by the enterprises of Grodnoinvest Free Economic Zone will be intensified. When considering the questions on registration of the economic entities as residents, the conclusions of the Commission for Improvement of the Competitiveness of the Economy on the estimation of the projects from the standpoint of their science intensity and use of high technologies are applied obligatorily. A number of residents of Grodnoinvest Free Economic Zone hold the certificates ISO 9000 and ISO 9001-2000.

Implementation of the long-term plan of the innovative development of the Region will make it possible to:

1. create the efficiently operating innovation system in Grodno Region with the orientation to the application of new principles of organization of the innovative process and innovation management;
2. implement the integration of the science, industry and business on the basis of the market mechanisms of commercialization of the objects of intellectual property and transfer of science intensive developments and technologies at the cost of attracting the budgetary funds and funds from off-budget sources;
3. introduce the high-profitable developments and technologies from other regions of the Republic into commerce on the territory of Grodno Region as well as create the conditions for adaptation and transfer of innovative achievements of developed countries;
4. intensify the innovation activities of utility organizations of the region and develop the domestic innovation market;
5. improve the quality and raise the level of the innovative management in organizations of Grodno Region;
6. create the favourable environment for activation of the innovative development of the Region’s economy and attraction of investments to the innovative sphere on the territory of Grodno Region;
7. by the year 2010, achieve the share of the innovative products in the total volume of the products shipped of 6.5 per cent and the share of certified products in the total volume of the industrial production down to 70.0 per cent;
8. reduce the degree of wear of the active part of the fixed industrial and production-related assets down to 65.0 per cent;
9. increase the share of equipment, tools and inventory in the investments in the fixed capital up to 47.0 per cent.

The total amount of financing of the works for creating the of new enterprises and of facilities, modernization of the operating facilities in the years 2007-2010 will be 310,168.7 million roubles, including that from the Republican Budget’s funds to the amount of 29,107.6 million roubles, from the local budget – to the amount of 2,183.9 million roubles, at the cost of bank credits – 127,050.1 million roubles, at the cost of loans – 37,022.0 million roubles, from the own funds of the organizations and other sources – 36,453.0 million roubles.