Cooperation of the Republican Centre for Technology Transfer with International Technology Transfer Networks

Dr Alexander A. Uspenskiy, Director, Republican Centre for Technology Transfer, Republic of BelarusInternational Conference on "SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) 18-22 August 2008 Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Republican Centre for Technology Transfer (RCTT) was founded in May 2003, under the aegis of the State Committee on Science and Technologies of the Republic of Belarus (SCST), the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

RCTTs PRIMARY GOAL is to promote the co-operation between developers, users of high technologies and investors with the aim that existing knowledge, facilities, or capabilities developed under a government or a private research and development (R&D) funding are utilized to fulfill public and private needs.

TASKS SET FOR RCTT

creating and maintaining information databases meant for serving clients in the technology transfer sector;

providing RCTTs clients with access to international databases on technology transfer, research and development;

assisting innovation activity agents in development and promotion of their innovation and investment projects;

TASKS SET FOR RCTT

instructing and training specialists in research- and innovation-related entrepreneurship;

establishing RCTTs offices across the country, with the aim to create a unified national network of technology transfer centres;

establishing RCTTs field offices all over the world, with the aim to assist and promote the international scientific and technical collaboration, and exchange of specialists.

RCTTs structure

RCTT is a consortium that includes:the headquarters in Minsk;5 regional offices and 22 branch offices at research organizations, institutes, universities, enterprises in Brest, Vitsebsk, Homel, Hrodna, Lida, Minsk, Mahileu, Novapolatsk and other cities and towns across Belarus;52 foreign partners in 17 countries: Armenia (2), Azerbaijan (1), China (14), Great Britain (2), Germany (4), India (1), Italy (1), the Republic of Korea (1), Poland (3), Kazakhstan (2), Russia (14), the USA (1), Sweden (1), the Republic of South Africa (1), Denmark (1), the Czech Republic (1), Ukraine (2);2 overseas field offices in China.

RCTT OFFERS ITS SERVICES TO

innovation activity agents in Belarus,

foreign companies and investors.

RCTTs SERVICES RENDERED TO BELARUSIAN INNOVATION ACTIVITY AGENTS

Search of technologies, professionals, business partners and investors in Belarus and abroad; assistance in establishing of joint ventures;

Assistance in development of innovation and investment projects; placing the project-related information in the UNIDO, IRC and YET2.COM formats on RCTTs e-portal, in the specialized databases, particularly in the UNIDO Exchange network system, Russian Technology Transfer Network (RTTN), European IRC network, yet2.com Inc. Network (USA), in foreign agencies, media and published editions;

RCTTs SERVICES RENDERED TO BELARUSIAN INNOVATION ACTIVITY AGENTS

Development of business plans;

Carrying marketing research;

Organizing RCTT clients participation in exhibitions, conferences, seminars and other events in the innovation activity domain;

Organizing and delivering refresher, upgrading and advanced training courses, seminars and workshops for the personnel of research institutions, higher-education institutes and universities, SMEs.

RCTTs SERVICES OFFERED TO FOREIGN COMPANIES AND INVESTORS

Search of technologies, partners and appropriate specialists in Belarus; assistance in preliminary arrangements related to contracts; support of establishment of joint ventures in the country;

Provision of information about projects initiated by Belarusian organizations;

Carrying marketing research;

RCTTs SERVICES OFFERED TO FOREIGN COMPANIES AND INVESTORS

Posting information about projects being offered by RCTTs foreign partners on the Web portal of RCTT;

Placing information about proposed foreign partners projects on the Russian Technology Transfer Network (RTTN) and yet2.com Inc. Network, a technology transfer network of the USA;

Organizing negotiations with Belarusian business partners;

Preparing personal sojourn programs for people of business coming to Belarus.

RCTTs cooperation with International Technology Transfer networksRCTT is a member of the following technology transfer networks: UNIDO Exchange Network (since 2003); Russian Technology Transfer Network (since 2004);

yet2.com Network (USA; since 2005); The Business Across Borders Partnership Network (former Orchard Network, UK; since 2005); Knowledge Transfer Networks (former DTI Global Watch Service, UK; since 2006); International Centre for Scientific and Technical Information Network (since 2008).

Information resources of RCTT

There has been created a Web portal of RCTT (http://ictt.by), with the several subject sections and databases as follows:

National Database of Innovation and Investment Projects;

Catalogue of Organizations of Belarus Engaged in Research and Development;

Technology Foresight;

Industry of the Republic of Belarus;

Information resources of RCTT

Small and Medium-Sized Business in Belarus;

Innovation Enterprises of Belarus subdivided into the Products, Technology Offers and Technology Requests subsections;

Proposals from Foreign Partners comprising the subsections Products, Technology Offers and Technology Requests;

Information resources of RCTT

Databases of Science and Technologies in Belarus and Abroad;

Free Economic Zones in the Republic of Belarus;

Investment and Venture Funds;

Legislation covering the laws and regulations applicable to the innovation activity in Belarus and foreign countries;

Commercialization - with the subsection Model Contracts (highlighting the most convenient model documents related to creation, use and trade of industrial property; and the subsection Setting up Joint Ventures in Belarus, etc.

Information resources of RCTTDOWNLOADABLE ELECTRONIC GUIDE BOOKS AND MANUALS OFFERED TO RCTT'S CLIENTELE:

Manual Promotion of Commercialization Projects by Using the Network of the Republican Centre for Technology Transfer of the Republic of Belarus;

Manual Promoting Commercialization Projects by Using the Technology Transfer Networks;

Manual Expert Appraisal of Technology Commercialization Projects;

Manual Funding of Commercialization Projects;

Information resources of RCTTDOWNLOADABLE ELECTRONIC GUIDE BOOKS AND MANUALS OFFERED TO RCTT'S CLIENTELE:

Manual for specialists engaged in technology transfer Preparing Investment Projects in the UNIDO Format Prior to Submission to RCTT;

Manual for specialists engaged in technology transfer Preparing Innovation Projects in the UNIDO Format Prior to Submission to RCTT ;

Operator's guide and manual on the technique of filling in the electronic forms on investment and innovation projects in the UNIDO format, prior to their submission to RCTT;

Information resources of RCTTDOWNLOADABLE ELECTRONIC GUIDE BOOKS AND MANUALS OFFERED TO RCTT'S CLIENTELE:

Manuals for preparing innovation projects in the format set by the IRC Network;

Manuals for preparing innovation projects in the format set by the yet2.com Inc. Network (USA) ;

Standards to be met by images being submitted for RCTT's cyber exhibition, the Products subsection, etc.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

RCTT has covenanted for technology transfer services with more than 150 Belarusian state-owned organizations, private enterprises and individuals. The National Academy of Sciences, Belarusian State University, Belarusian National Technical University are among the Centres clients.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

Owing to the support rendered by RCTT, more than 2000 Belarusian specialists have been trained and instructed in various fields of technology transfer at 109 local and international workshops, seminars and exhibitions in Austria, Germany, India, China, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech and other countries.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

With the promotion and support from RCTT, novel products have been commercialized and put to mass production at the following enterprises in Belarus:

Spetsmazki (Minsk) production of plastic lubricant compounds for heavy-duty conditions;

No.2566 Radio Electronic Arms Repair Works (Borisov) Gas Generation Burners of up to 100 KW capacity;

Tekhnoton Joint Venture (Belarus-Russia; Minsk) production of fuel flow transducers for vehicles with diesel motors.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2005 2006, with the promotion and support from RCTT, the Research Institute of Heat and Mass Exchange of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus signed collaboration agreements with the Pacetronic Corporation (USA), Svedab (Sweden), P&P-Bridge Limited (New Zealand). According to the provisions of the agreements, these foreign companies are entitled as exclusive salesmen for worn tyre recycling plants in respectively - the USA and Canada; Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark; across the New Zealand, Australia and Oceania, Indonesia and Malaysia.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

At present RCTTs clients get assistance in foundation of two Belarusian-Chinese joint ventures, in preliminary arrangements for licensing of Belarusian technologies with companies from Sweden, China, Poland and the USA.

RCTTs ACHIEVEMENTS

RCTT is involved in the following international projects:

Strengthening the National System for Technology Transfer in the Republic of Belarus on the Basis of Information and Communication Technologies (planned for 2006 2009). Financed by the Government of the Republic of Belarus, UNDP and UNIDO,

The International Innovation Centre of East, A Platform for Scientific and Economic Cooperation, New Technologies and Expert Support of Podlasie Region (planned for 2006 2008). Financed by EU.

INNOVATION ACTIVITY AGENTS ARE WELCOME TO GET THEIR ACCESS TO RCTTs RESOURCES VIA ITS E-PORTALhttp://ictt.by/

THANK YOU!

Dr Alexander A. Uspenskiy Director

Republican Centre for Technology Transfer66 - 100, Nezavisimosti Ave.,Minsk 220072, BelarusTel.: +375 17 2841499Fax: +375 172840749E-mail: uspenskiy@mail.ru