MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) – Plans have been made to simplify the review procedures for innovative projects in the Belarus-Russia Union State, Russian Deputy Education and Science Minister Lyudmila Ogorodova told journalists before a meeting of the Russian-Belarusian commission for scientific and technical cooperation on 16 March, BelTA has learned.
“It is important to develop a legal framework to make the commission a full member of the Union State. Today we will discuss the relevant draft regulations. If approved, they will be submitted to the Union State Council of Ministers in May. This will considerably simplify the review procedures for projects to be implemented as part of Union State programs,” Lyudmila Ogorodova noted.
Chairman of the Belarusian State Science and Technology Committee Alexander Shumilin explained that today the review procedures take from 1.5 to 2 years. “This period is unreasonably long for an innovative project. Every project is first reviewed by the State Science and Technology Committee and then by the Russian Education and Science Ministry. After that, it needs to be approved by the commission for scientific and technical cooperation, and only afterwards it is submitted to the Union State bodies for consideration,” Alexander Shumilin stressed.
Once the Russian-Belarusian commission for scientific and technical cooperation gets a status of a Union State body, the project review procedures will take half a year. “Today we will also discuss the possibility of admitting representatives of the agencies that will implement the approved innovative projects as members of the commission. This will be an important step towards faster implementation of innovations,” Alexander Shumilin believes.
He stressed that the main task of the commission will be to shape the scientific and technical policy of the Union State. “Today we design stand-alone projects. Our task is to draw up a strategy for scientific and technical development of the Union State,” Alexander Shumilin said.
The Union State currently implements the total of seven programs. “Today we have plans to approve another twelve concepts to be submitted to the Council of Minister in May. Besides, we have concepts for another 17 programs,” the Chairman of the Belarusian State Science and Technology Committee pointed out.
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