Innovation should become a key driver of the Belarusian economy's development - participant of the IV All-Belarusian People's Congress

December 2, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. Innovations and the creation of innovative production facilities should become the key factor in the development of the Belarusian economy. This opinion was expressed to a BELTA correspondent by Alexander Voitenkov, Director of OJSC "Display Design Bureau", a participant in the IV All-Belarusian People's Congress, commenting on the main provisions of the draft program for the socio-economic development of Belarus for 2011-2015. In the context of increasing competition in global markets, Belarus has no alternative to creating export-oriented products based on innovation. In this direction, top-class specialists, engineers and designers who are capable of producing innovations come to the fore. The main resource of the country is the human being, and it is no coincidence that the draft program pays attention to the development of human potential and the issues of intellect reproduction. "Today, the basis for the development of any enterprise, especially one using science-intensive technologies, is formed by creative individuals who possess marketing and market knowledge, and are capable of creating a new product, creating and mastering its mass production," Alexander Voitenkov is confident. OJSC "Display Design Bureau" has a special program aimed at ensuring the personnel potential of the enterprise. The Vitebsk manufacturer pursues a personnel policy in several directions. "Display" actively interacts with leading universities in the region, where students capable of joining the enterprise's team in the future are identified as early as the 3rd-4th year. To this end, the joint-stock company provides universities with equipment that allows students to get acquainted with the specifics of "Display's" production process. Students complete coursework and diploma projects according to the enterprise's assignments, which also allows assessing the intellectual potential of future employees, and enables young people to join the enterprise later, better prepared for the specifics of their future work. In addition, "Display" carries out joint developments with universities. OJSC "Display Design Bureau" specializes in the development and production of information display devices (video monitors) and special-purpose computing equipment for harsh operating conditions. Every three years, the enterprise updates its product line by approximately 70%, which is a necessary condition for the enterprise's competitiveness in foreign markets. The portfolio of promising developments includes the creation of a helmet-mounted display system for military units, which is an element of the personal electronic-optical soldier complex being developed in Belarus. The enterprise was founded in 1987 and became a joint-stock company in 2010. -0-