OREANDA-NEWS. February 05, 2007. Belarus needs to set up the monitoring system for the 2007-2010 state innovation programme, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky told a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers, reported the Official website www.government.by.

According to the head of government, there is a need to form a distinct data base during implementation of the programme. “We should see how the programme is carried out to have influence on its implementation promptly. So, we need the monitoring of this programme,” Sergei Sidorsky highlighted.

According to Sergei Sidorsky, the programme is too complicated. By 2010, Belarus should construct more than 130 new facilities including various companies. He proposed to postpone the work related to preparation of some facilities.

In 2008 252 objects outlined by the State Innovation Programme are supposed to be built in Belarus, Chairman of the State Committee for Science and Technologies Vladimir Matyushkov said at a session of the Council of Ministers on February 5.

Vladimir Matyushkov presented specified figures of the programme. By 2010 1,302 objects of the innovation programme are supposed to be built, including 173 first-level objects (new manufacturing facilities), 274 second-level objects (new manufacturing facilities based on existing ones), and 753 third-level objects (modernised existing facilities). Domestic technologies will be used in 1,009 projects and foreign technologies will be utilised in 293 objects.

In 2007 according to specified figures 195 out of 844 top-priority projects were commissioned, including 20 first-level projects, 56 second-level projects, and 119 third-level projects. In 2007 37 production facilities reached the designed output. The production of 183 new scientific and technical products began. Over 3,500 new jobs were created. All in all, Br1.027 trillion worth of products was manufactured as part of the programme’s implementation.

Meanwhile, not all tasks of the state programme were accomplished on schedule. Thus 22 objects have not been commissioned.

The failure is mainly attributed to the lack of financing, poor preparation of projects and the need to revise them, long procedures for holding tenders, broken supplies of equipment.

When analysed, the problem turned out to be limited to the non-utilisation of funds instead of lack of funding. The Prime Minister demanded a report why certain facilities had not been commissioned on schedule.

Sergei Sidorsky also gave an instruction to complete technical tests of biofuel by the end of Q1 2008. Biofuel has been manufactured in Belarus for a year and a half and producers have not carried out the necessary methyl ether tests.

Sergei Sidorsky stressed, in the future the programme should be implemented without delays and disruptions. He suggested relocating some equipment from large enterprises to small ones, which are situated in small and medium towns, in order to charge them with manufacturing components, modules, and carcass frames necessary for the large enterprises. The practice of using manufacturing cooperation schemes should be extended.

The Prime Minister spoke in positive terms about the construction of OAO Babushkina Krynka’s branch enterprise in Belynichi. The enterprise was built within 7-8 months. If optimal construction terms are met at most objects, the programme will be fulfilled smoothly, believes Sergei Sidorsky.

The head of government noted, in the future the programme may be enlarged with several new objects, in particular, enterprises of the processing industry, dairy industry and large industrial installations.