The state will make all necessary efforts to develop the IT sector - A. Lukashenko
19/11/20100 views
On November 19, Minsk / BELTA correspondent /. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko demanded that the development of the High-Tech Park in Minsk be completed by the end of 2013. He stated this on November 18, during a visit to the HTP, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Belarusian leader.
"Everything must be built by January 1, 2014. And this is possible," stressed the head of state.
Alexander Lukashenko criticized the government and the HTP supervisory board for the fact that, five years after he issued the decree on the High-Tech Park, much less has actually been done on the HTP territory than planned. "We determined that we would build a town here for advanced people, to create normal conditions for their work, life, and recreation. Five years have passed, and you have actually put only one building in order," he said.
As reported to the President by the Director of the State Institution "Administration of the High-Tech Park" Valery Tsepkalo, Br3.8 billion from the state budget and about Br50.7 billion of investor funds were spent on the reconstruction of this building. Regarding the reasons for the delay in the implementation of the plans, Alexander Lukashenko was informed that about two years ago, 50 hectares of the HTP territory were transferred to a foreign investor for design and development. However, due to objective and subjective reasons, the investor failed to fulfill his obligations. One of the reasons, in particular, was the fall in real estate prices in 2009, and the investor's interest in the project began to wane. "Did they have no obligations? It started to fade, so what? They failed - then you need to hold them accountable," the head of state remarked.
Addressing the officials, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that it was necessary to resolve emerging problems more quickly so as not to hinder the implementation of the entire project. "I am not interested in what difficulties you encountered, or even force majeure. I am concerned about one thing: what has been done in five years?" the President reacted sharply to the excuses.
Now, the main functions for design and development on the HTP territory will be carried out by the city authorities together with the park itself. At the same time, the investor will continue to have the opportunity to carry out activities in this territory and participate in projects that are of interest to him. As the President was assured, the task set will be completed on time.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, the creation of the Hi-Tech Park (HTP) is primarily intended to provide opportunities for self-realisation within the country for individuals working in this sector. "They must work here. We must not lose these minds," he emphasised.
Despite obvious shortcomings, significant progress in the development of the HTP cannot be overlooked. According to experts, the Belarusian High-Tech Park is one of the serious players in this field in Central and Eastern Europe. As of 1 November 2010, 88 residents were registered in the HTP, of which 56 were newly established companies and 2 business projects. 45 HTP residents were created by Belarusian investors, 23 by foreign investors, and 20 jointly by Belarusian and foreign investors. The total full-time staff of HTP resident companies as of 1 October 2010 exceeded 8.2 thousand people. Over 5.2 thousand jobs were created in the HTP in 2006-2010. The average salary of employees in January-September 2010 was Br3 million 353 thousand.
The volume of sales of goods (works, services) in the HTP for the 9 months of the current year reached Br354.5 billion and increased 1.4 times compared to the same period in 2009. During the specified period, HTP resident companies developed export software worth $94.4 million, which is 1.3 times more than in the corresponding period last year. The share of exports in the production volume was 80%.
High-Tech Park resident companies, despite the general slowdown in the global IT market development dynamics, increased their revenue from the sale of self-produced software to Br401.4 billion in 2009. Clients of HTP residents today include not only Belarusian agencies and enterprises but also many well-known multinational companies. They are primarily attracted by competitive pricing and high product quality. In fact, it can be argued that a fully-fledged IT industry has been created in the Belarusian economy. According to Alexander Lukashenko, active development of this sector is planned for the future.
The Head of State familiarised himself with the organisation of work at the HTP resident company EPAM Systems and spoke with its management. EPAM Systems was established in Belarus in 1993. It is now the largest software development company in Central and Eastern Europe. In Belarus, the company employs over 2.7 thousand people, and the number of employees worldwide exceeds 5.8 thousand.As EPAM Systems Board Chairman Arkady Dobkin told the President, the company today competes with major Western companies, as well as Indian and Chinese ones. In 2010, EPAM Systems plans to produce software products worth over $200 million, with approximately $70 million remaining in Belarus.
The company develops software primarily for foreign clients. However, this also benefits Belarusian entities. For instance, as gratuitous assistance, EPAM Systems transferred software developed in the Hi-Tech Park to the Centre for Transplantology and Cellular Biotechnology in Minsk. This software is intended for maintaining registries of bone marrow and stem cell donors, as well as patients requiring transplantation. Initially, the program was developed for an American hospital.
Arkady Dobkin emphasized that the attractive conditions created for such companies, particularly in taxation, significantly influenced the decision to become a resident of the High-Tech Park. Several investment options were considered, but ultimately, the main efforts were directed towards the company's development in Belarus. EPAM Systems employees also work in regional centres across the country, and specialised training classes have been established in universities.
Among the reasons for opening the company's office in Minsk, he cited the high quality of training provided to graduates of Belarusian universities in technical specialities. "A strong foundation for training such specialists has been preserved in the country since Soviet times. The quality of education in Belarus is good. Graduates of Belarusian universities do not feel inferior compared to graduates of Harvard and other renowned educational institutions," the company head noted. At the same time, he added, the company has about 200 vacancies that remain unfilled due to a shortage of highly qualified specialists.
In this regard, the President stated that the enrolment of students in technical specialities at Belarusian universities will be increased: "We will increase the number of individuals being trained who are needed by the High-Tech Park."
As First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko reported, the Ministry of Education is already considering the possibility of increasing enrolment in technical specialities at universities. This will take effect from the next academic year.Alexander Lukashenko also visited the office of the Hi-Tech Park resident company "System Technologies", where he familiarised himself with the organisation of employees' work. He communicated with programmers, inquired about their working and living conditions. The President emphasised that, along with administrative and office buildings, housing and social infrastructure facilities should be built on the territory of the Hi-Tech Park.
The Head of State also familiarised himself with the organisation of scientific and practical activities at the Hi-Tech Park and the developments of the Hi-Tech Park resident companies. In particular, he was presented with a satellite navigation system that integrates the American GPS and Russian GLONASS systems. Devices using this software will be used during the Sochi Olympics as a kind of guide; a similar product will also be developed for the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk. The President was shown software developments for determining bridge loads and making relevant calculations, iPhone applications, programmes for the National Hockey League enabling ticket sales and online match viewing, the latest security software, and other developments.
As reported to the President by Valery Tsepkalo, all major Belarusian enterprises are currently clients of the Hi-Tech Park. The export of Hi-Tech Park software products over the 9 months of the current year has increased by 36% compared to the same period last year. Of the 10 largest global companies, 5 are clients of the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park. Customers of Hi-Tech Park software products include companies from 50 countries worldwide. Valery Tsepkalo noted that the productivity per programmer at the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park is the highest in the CIS and is approaching the results of Indian programmers (this sector has been developing in India for 30 years).
Overall, according to the President, Belarus can be proud of its achievements in sectors such as medicine, space, and IT technologies.Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that by developing these sectors, other sectors were also brought to a new level. This is the special meaning of state support for promising knowledge-intensive areas. Following the space program, an entire segment of knowledge-intensive directions has been boosted. "Whether we need this Earth remote sensing satellite or not. We can probe Belarus without a satellite. But these technologies pull along huge sectors, bringing them to a qualitatively new level," the President said. He also noted that when deciding to develop the space industry, the state was guided by those highly qualified specialists who, even during the Soviet Union, did a lot for the development of space, so that they would not leave the country or retrain, but could apply their knowledge in Belarus.
As for healthcare, a great leap forward has also occurred here with the development of transplantology. As the President noted, in three years, the country has managed to bring this area to such a level that today we can talk about performing operations that only a few countries in the world can do.
The same, according to the head of state, applies to the field of high technologies.
"We should be proud of what is oriented towards the distant future," said Alexander Lukashenko. He stressed that successes in these areas are important to him not only because they enhance the country's image, but primarily because they yield results and bring significant benefits to the country. Therefore, the IT sector in Belarus will be actively developed, and the state will make all necessary efforts for this. -0-
BELTA