Belarus offers material benefits

A DTI Global Watch Service product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 4, 2006

DTI International Technology Promoter Juan Matthews reports from a recent visit to leading research institutes in Belarus.

Belarus has a strong tradition in science dating back to its days as a member of the Soviet Union.

Today it has over 32,000 researchers - more per capita than neighbouring Russia - and in some areas its work is world class.

Scientific research in Belarus is mainly carried out at institutes of the Belarus National Academy of Sciences, with other activity at the main universities, particularly Belarus State University and Belarus State Technical University in Minsk.

Most research is directed at engineering, agricultural and medical applications, with emphasis on new areas such as nanotechnologies.

Belarus has a very active and up-to-date technology transfer information service, the Republican Centre for Technology Transfer (RCTT), whose website offers regular updates on technology developments in English.

The country is also involved in projects supported by UNIDO, NATO and the ISTC.

Many innovative technologies have come from international collaboration and Belarussian researchers are looking for European partners for EU FP6 and FP7 projects.

Research is strongest in materials, including materials processing, driven by the country's main industries - metallurgy (mainly ferrous), wood and paper, engineering and petrochemicals.

Work on functional materials has also led to extensive capability in sensors.

The main materials and sensor research institutes are in Minsk.

The Institute of Solid State and Semiconductor Physics is involved in: synthesis of functional materials and creation of sensors based on them; synthesis of magnetic, superconducting and piezoelectric materials; and production of sensors for radio and microwave applications, mechanical position and rotation sensors, vibration sensors and activators.

The Physical Technical Institute deals in: treatment of metals by lasers and plasmas, extreme deformation by equal channel extrusion to form nanostructured alloys; high-pressure synthesis of superhard diamond and cubic boron nitride; and production of long carbon nanotubes by a plasma process.

The Institute of Powder Metallurgy handles: powder metallurgy, composites, super hard materials and protective coatings; and materials from nanopowders, including ion conducting ceramics for sensors and solid oxide fuel cells.

The Institute of Molecular and Atomic Physics is involved in photonic crystal research, and some unique photonic systems have been built with nanostructured materials.

The Stepanov Institute of Physics makes quantum electronic structures using molecular beam epitaxy for production of solid-state lasers.

The National Academy of Sciences is co-ordinating the activities of the institutes to develop nanotechnologies for power generation, medical devices, optoelectronic devices and sensors.

According to Vladimir Uspensky, Director, RCTT: "Our centre was set up to aid researchers to contact users of technology and investors".

"We can also provide support services to foreign companies looking to collaborate with Belarus".

This article is based on one due for publication in Global Watch, the monthly magazine of the DTI Global Watch Service.

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