The formation of Belarusian science began in the 20s of the XX century. Although some scientific research was carried out on the territory of Belarus before that time, in particular in the Gori-Goritskaya agricultural school, etc. In the conditions of military intervention, devastation, the government of the republic took a number of measures to eliminate illiteracy, open universities, and create scientific centers ... An important moment in the scientific life of the BSSR was the opening of the Belarusian State University, to which a number of library funds of the Academy of Sciences were transferred. Archaeological Commission, Central Book Chamber, Moscow, St. Petersburg and other universities. However, for the development of the republic's productive forces, it was necessary to create specialized scientific institutions. Life required significant functional developments aimed at overcoming the technical and economic lag and solving regional problems of the BSSR. On January 30, 1922, the Institute of Belarusian Culture was founded, headed by S. Nekrashevich. Research work in Inbelkult was carried out in the humanitarian direction and natural science. The humanitarian section included vocabulary, terminological, literary, ethnographic and other commissions. In the section of natural history - geological, local history sections. In 1926, according to the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the BSSR, the Institute of Belarusian Culture was separated from the People's Commissariat of Education and reorganized into a state research institution under the Council of People's Commissars of the BSSR.In 1928, Inbelkult became the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, which was solemnly opened on January 1, 1929. Among the academicians, its founders, there were well-known scientists and cultural figures J. Lesik, D. Zhilunovich, V. Ignatovsky, V. Lastovsky, J. Kupala, J. Kolas and many others.
In 1924-1930, research institutes were created: sanitary and hygienic, social hygiene, tuberculosis, gynecology, labor, physiotherapy, geological, Central Pai peat station. Thus, science moved from research in small laboratories of the university and higher technical schools to systematic, well-organized work in scientific institutes. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 62 scientific institutions operated on the territory of our republic: 26 scientific research institutes, 15 scientific stations, 2 reserves, 3 museums, 16 universities.
A historic milestone in the training of scientists and pedagogical personnel in the BSSR was the "Regulations on scientific workers of higher educational institutions and scientific institutions of June 8, 1927, which laid the legal foundations for the postgraduate form of education. Since that time, postgraduate study has become the main form of training intellectual forces in almost all specialties. In 1934, 2 scientific degrees were established - candidate and doctor of science, and scientific titles were introduced - assistant, associate professor, professor in universities and junior and senior research workers in research institutes. Resolutions of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (March 20, 1937 and April 26, 1938) regulated the procedure for public defense of candidate and doctoral dissertations. In 1934, the BSSR began training highly qualified personnel - doctors of science through doctoral studies.
Belarusian science suffered great losses during the Stalinist repressions. In the 1930s, the NKVD authorities fabricated the cases of "counter-revolutionary organizations". More than 20 employees of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR were unjustifiably accused, among them were V. Lastovsky, J. Lesik, D. Zhilunovich and others. According to the NKVD, as of July 1, 1938, as a result of the "defeat of the anti-Soviet underground of the BSSR," the number of convicts amounted to 2570 people, including 25 academicians and employees of the BSSR Academy of Sciences, and 41 university teachers. Repressions significantly weakened the human resources of the republic's scientists.
In the post-war period, Belarusian science was literally revived from the ashes.
Since the beginning of the 50s, research in the field of physical, mathematical and technical sciences has been significantly expanded in the BSSR, which ensured the creation of new progressive directions of industry, high rates of scientific and technological progress. New directions in the field of the humanities also developed. By the end of the 80s, more than 160 state scientific institutions operated on the territory of Belarus. The main and most widespread type was research institutes with branches and departments. 32% of them solved the problems of technical sciences, 27% - related to natural science, 17% - social sciences, 12% - agricultural and veterinary sciences, 12% - medical sciences. The total number of people employed in the field of science and scientific services in Belarus is more than 100 thousand people.
The growth dynamics of fixed assets of science is evidenced by the commissioning of scientific towns of the Institute of Nuclear Energy of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR (Sosny), INSTIT) and agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture (i Zhodino), the Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology of the Ministry of Health of Belarus (city of Borovlyany), etc. Since 1970, the construction of a new academic town began, on the territory of which laboratory buildings of institutes: physical and technical, microbiology, etc. began to operate. Scientific organizations received technological and power equipment, electronic computing complexes, complex optical equipment, unique devices. The achievements of Belarusian scientists in numerous scientific fields have been recognized not only in the USSR, but also abroad. The Academy of Sciences of the BSSR has developed world-class scientific schools in linguistics, theoretical physics, physical optics and quantum electronics, mathematics, chemistry, geology, etc.
The collapse of the USSR and the resulting rupture of economic and scientific ties negatively affected the position of the spider. Fundamental changes in state building - the formation of an independent Republic of Belarus - demanded reforms in the scientific sphere. However, it was carried out and continues to be carried out inconsistently and inconsistently. The constant reduction in funding for science, the destruction of its material and technical base, low demand for the results of scientific research on the part of the state lead to a reduction in the scientific potential of the republic and the departure of many scientists abroad. According to the information provided by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (1999), in the 90s more than 450 scientists emigrated from the republic to the USA, Western Europe, Israel. Fundamental research has found itself in the most difficult conditions. The emergence of commercial firms, joint ventures and other organizations associated with market relations has led to the "pouring" of specialists into these structures from the most promising areas of science - mathematics, laser physics, radio electronics, instrumentation, etc.
The main scientific center of the Republic of Belarus is the National Academy of Sciences. Its role in organizing, conducting and coordinating fundamental scientific research is determined by the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus", as well as by the decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus (1998). They outline the foundations and guarantees of its activities, the principles of interaction with authorities, subjects and participants in scientific and scientific and technical activities.
In our time, the importance of science in the life of society is gradually increasing. The history of mankind testifies to the fact that successful economic, social and technical development and an increase in living standards are impossible without using the achievements of fundamental and applied science. Therefore, measures to support science and stimulate its development should become an integral component of the state policy of the Republic of Belarus in the 21st century.
On December 22, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Vladimir Gusakov told reporters about the main achievements of Belarusian scientists in the Year of Science.
The most significant achievements of Belarusian science, which were discussed at the second Congress of Scientists, include the development of a portable supercomputer that performs up to 20 trillion operations per second and is 2.5 times more powerful than the original SKIF supercomputer, but much smaller. BELTA.
An important event was the development of an electric vehicle and small personal electric transport, work on its own energy storage. “We are working on improving the electric car. I think that next year we will be able to position it as our comprehensive Belarusian development,” said Vladimir Gusakov.
The Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS highlighted the creation of a Belarusian national system for identification, marking and tracking of goods and vehicles, which makes it possible to avoid falsification of goods, the development of a food security doctrine until 2030 as a basic document for the development of the agro-industrial complex, DNA certification of a person, which makes it possible to edit the gene mechanism and go to personalized medicine, including the use of stem cells.
Among the achievements of domestic scientists are also the creation of a series of highly effective medicines, new varieties of agricultural plants, machines for the agro-industrial complex. Belarusian scientists were engaged in space research and began work on a new spacecraft for Earth remote sensing.
The discovery of world significance - the most ancient settlements of the Slavs were found in the Zhitkovichi district of the Gomel region.
“A number of scientific studies have yielded results that are internationally recognized. These are artificial diamonds, highly effective vitamin preparations, chemical and biochemical substances, microbiological preparations, etc. Far beyond the country, the development of Belarusian scientists in the field of laser and plasma technologies, optical and laser devices is well known. new materials with special properties, "said Vladimir Gusakov.
As a reminder, this week the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus summed up the results of the competition for the 2017 National Academy of Sciences of Belarus awards. Based on the decisions of the Commission of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, it was decided to award 7 prizes of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: three prizes in physics, mathematics, computer science and physical and technical sciences: three prizes in the field of biology, chemistry, medicine, agrarian sciences and earth sciences; one prize in the humanities and social sciences. The amount of the premium is 250 basic units.
The Academy of Sciences has identified the top 10 results in basic research for 2016. The top ten includes studies in history, microbiology and optics.
1. Localization of states of light
A new method for the localization of quantum states of light based on a limited number of so-called reconstruction measurements. The method enables efficient quantum tomography of light.
2. New type of light fields
Institute of Physics B.I.Stepanova
Prediction and implementation of a new type of light fields - tunable Airy laser beams, which have the property of self-restructuring of the profile when propagating in scattering and inhomogeneous media. Such beams are required to deliver light energy over long distances in comparison with conventional (Gaussian) beams.
3. Image analysis against breast cancer
Joint Institute for Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
A new method for analyzing complex images of large sizes, based on deep learning information technologies. As the Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Academician Sergei Kilin, explained, commenting on the result, the method made it possible to develop a highly effective method for automatic analysis of histological images, which determine the presence of breast cancer at the earliest stage of the disease.
The team of authors, participating in the 2016 TUPAC16 and CAMELYON16 International Competitions dedicated to the problem of automated diagnosis of breast cancer, in which more than 100 professional teams from different countries of the world participated, entered the top four in the nomination "Prediction of the proliferation index based on mitosis counting", ahead of the teams universities in the USA, Germany, Great Britain, etc.
4. Unique materials for space
GNPO "Powder Metallurgy"
The mechanisms of mass transfer in the processes of sintering silicon and carbon with nanoadditives have been established, which make it possible to form lightweight structural elements from a composite based on silicon carbide ceramics with unique mechanical and thermophysical properties (layer-by-layer identity of the coefficients of thermal linear expansion and thermal deformation). This result is aimed at creating large-size astronomical mirrors for use in outer space.
5. Materials for new generation solar cells
GNPO "Scientific Research Center of the NAS of Belarus for Materials Science" together with physicists
Stimulated and laser radiation was discovered in multicomponent direct-gap semiconductors, and the mechanism of radiative recombination, leading to their appearance in film structures intended for the creation of new generation solar cells, was established.
6. Slowing down "pathological" reactions
Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Amino, nucleic and polyunsaturated fatty acids modified with deuterium have been synthesized, which have the effect of significantly slowing down biochemical reactions that cause various pathologies. The effect is realized when hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium in certain places of biomolecules that exhibit instability to oxidation. The obtained compounds are promising for creating a new generation of drugs.
7. Step to regeneration of nerve cells
Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Institute of Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Fundamentally important results have been obtained for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders and neurodestructive pathologies, including genetic modification using dendromers of nerve tissue cells in order to overproduce a neurotrophic factor in them that stimulates the restoration of the peripheral nerve, and the use of recombinant human lactoferrin. The obtained result shows the ways of solving the most complicated problem of nerve cell regeneration.
8. Modulators of glucose oxidase
Institute of Microbiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
For the first time, chemical compounds have been discovered - modulators (isopropanol, ethanol, choline chloride), which significantly accelerate the production of the enzyme glucose oxidase by microorganisms, which serves as the basis for creating an effective thermostable drug with increased catalytic activity used in bioelectronic devices.
9. Unique monument of the Viking age
Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
An archaeological complex has been discovered and studied: the Cordon of the Vitebsk Podvinya is a unique for Eastern Europe monument of the Viking Age (VIII-X centuries). The materials of the complex prove the participation of the Varangians in the development of the trade and economic potential of the region, reveal its extensive international ties and the leading role in the formation of the Dnieper-Lovatsky segment of the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" at an early stage (IX - mid-X centuries) of the formation of state structures in the eastern Slavs.
10. Reproduction of rye "in vitro"
Scientists of the Scientific Research Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on Agriculture
A unique technology for obtaining regenerants has been developed and tested in vitro ("In vitro") from the anthers of rye - an agricultural crop that is difficult to regenerate on an artificial nutrient medium. The creation of doubled haploids (DH lines) allows to halve the time required for obtaining homozygous forms of rye as parental components and to accelerate selection.
Today, Belarusian science is assigned a key role in building the knowledge economy. The foundation for this is laid in the State Program of Innovative Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2016 - 2020.
JSC "Peleng" develops new high-resolution equipment for spacecraft
Science in Belarus is a powerful intellectual industry
Belarusian scientists make a significant contribution to the development of the country's economy. The competitiveness of the economy depends on the availability of high-tech industries and the introduction of innovations.
Scientific and intellectual potential has been preserved and strengthened in the Republic of Belarus. We have a developed system of training workers with the highest scientific qualifications. In 2018, 5357 graduate students and 572 doctoral students studied in the republic. 50 people became doctors of science, 489 people became candidates of science.
In 2018, 27.4 thousand people participated in research and development, of which 65% were directly involved in research activities.
A fifth of all researchers in our country have an academic degree: doctors of sciences - 626 people, candidates of sciences - 2829 people.
In the research environment, gender differences have practically been leveled - women make up 39.3% of the total number of researchers. Moreover, the number of women researchers prevails in the medical, agricultural, humanities and socio-economic sciences.
Young people are actively involved in the field of science. Young people under the age of 29 make up 22.6% of the total number of researchers.
Belarusian scientific developments are being successfully introduced in mechanical engineering, instrument making, energy, microbiology, medicine, pharmaceuticals and other industries.
The transformation of scientific research results is reflected in the indicators of innovation activity, which are comparable with the values \u200b\u200bof developed Western European countries.
Almost a quarter of industrial enterprises of the Republic of Belarus are innovatively active. More than 73% of enterprises in the industry are innovatively active in the production of computing, electronic and optical equipment, more than 77% in the pharmaceutical industry, and more than half in transport engineering.
The share of shipped innovative products in the total volume of shipped industrial products is constantly growing and at the end of 2018 it makes up one fifth of all shipped products. By a third, Belarusian exports are formed by high-tech and science-intensive products.
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NAS of Belarus) is the highest state scientific organization of the Republic of Belarus. It is an intellectual and expert center that plays an important role in determining the directions and specific ways of the country's development, the core of a modern system for generating knowledge and innovations.
The Academy of Sciences is subordinate to the President of the Republic of Belarus, subordinate to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. The Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences is elected by the general meeting of the Academy, is equal in position to the Minister of the Republic of Belarus and is a member of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus ensures the conduct, development and coordination of fundamental research in the main areas of natural, technical and humanitarian sciences, and also acts as the head organization of Belarus for scientific and methodological support of the development of informatization. Recently, its structure has been noticeably transformed: new types of organizations (scientific and practical centers and associations) have been created, approaches and methods of managing innovative activities have been improved. Today, the topics of fundamental and applied research of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus are formed only for the priorities of the economy.
State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus is a republican government body that conducts state policy and implements the function of state regulation and management in the field of scientific, scientific, technical and innovative activities, as well as ensuring the protection of intellectual property rights.
Its main tasks are the creation of new innovative enterprises that will allow the production of export-oriented innovative products with high added value, the introduction and commercialization of scientific ideas and developments.
Noting the role of science in creating the knowledge economy, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said: “The future of our economy in all areas is science. The latest technology. Fifth, sixth, maybe eighth order. The knowledge economy is the only thing that can save us as an independent and sovereign state, increase our wealth ... ”.
According to international experts, the Republic of Belarus is one of the countries with a high level of scientific potential. In the ranking of “good countries” (GoodCountry Index-2016), Belarus took 79th place among 163 countries of the world, with the highest position (37th place) in terms of “science and technology”.
Innovative development
Among the priority areas for the development of innovations in the country are resource-saving and energy-efficient technologies, industrial biotechnology, nanomaterials and new energy sources, medicine and pharmacy, information and aerospace technologies, production technologies, processing and storage of agricultural products, ecology and rational use of natural resources.
Scientific and technical centers, which increase the efficiency of interaction between science and industry, occupy an important place in the innovation infrastructure.
Research focuses on the specific needs of industry and other sectors of the economy. The activities of scientists are aimed at solving problems of industrial modernization and the formation of a new innovative economy, the creation of new industries of the V and VI technological orders.
By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated January 31, 2017 No. 31, the State Program of Innovative Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2016-2020 was approved, the purpose of which is to ensure high-quality growth and competitiveness of the national economy with the concentration of resources on the formation of its high-tech sectors. The high-tech sectors include: information and communication and aerospace technologies; nuclear energy and alternative energy sources; bio- and nanoindustry; pharmaceutical industry; instrumentation and electronics industry.
The State Program for Innovative Development is a strategic planning tool and a systemic mechanism for implementing the state innovation policy of Belarus, including a set of measures to develop the National Innovation System. It includes 75 export-oriented innovative projects for the creation of new enterprises and industries. On the technologies of the V and VI technological orders, 30 projects are based on the creation of new industries that are of decisive importance for the innovative development of the Republic of Belarus, expected to be completed in 2016 - 2020.
As a result of the implementation of the Program in 2016, innovative products were produced in the amount of about 294.3 million rubles, of which 87.5% were exported (257.6 million rubles), new production facilities were put into operation on eight projects, brought to the design production capacity for eight projects (100% of the plan), 1437 jobs were created and (or) modernized (101.1% of the plan).
Main achievements of Belarusian science
The achievements of Belarusian scientists in various fields of fundamental and applied science are recognized by the world community. In a relatively short period of time, the country has managed to create a viable national innovation system. The legal and regulatory framework for innovation is developing.
The device, along with four other satellites, was launched into orbit by a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Belarusian spacecraft is maneuverable and can be quickly rebuilt in orbit in order to survey at the desired angle. The target equipment on the satellite is Belarusian, it is manufactured JSC "Peleng" - the leading design and engineering company of Belarus in the field of optoelectronic instrumentation. The satellite weighs more than 400 kg, the resolution in the panchromatic range is about two meters. The device will operate in tandem with the Russian satellite Kanopus-V.
A number of states have already shown interest in Belarusian space information.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with Russian media on March 18, 2011:“Sputnik is a commercial project. Many states are ready to pay, because the price of our satellite is minuscule, it will pay off quickly. But this is not the main thing. And the main thing is that since Soviet times we have a very good school that worked for Soviet space. And I didn't want to lose these people and this direction. And as soon as we started to do this, this direction revived in our science, in the economy. We saved the school we once had. ".
Scientists from the National Center for Particle Physics and High Energy of the Belarusian State University took part in experiments on Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)located on the border of Switzerland and France. They monitored the operation of one of the collider detectors - CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid).
Employees of the B.I.Stepanov Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus developed new generation lasers... This is the latest trend in modern laser physics. These are really new laser emitters in terms of dimensions, weight, energy saving. The scope of application of new products is wide enough - from medicine to industry. They are safer on the eyes than traditional ones. The new lasers are much smaller and more functional. New developments of Belarusian physicists are already in high demand abroad.
The Institute of Physics B.I.Stepanov of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has developed a device for a contactless express optical diagnosis of cancerous tumors... The use of new items in medicine will help to reduce not only the time, but also the economic costs of diagnosing cancer. The innovation can be used in the monitoring and localization of cancerous tumors directly during surgery. The Institute cooperates with research centers and companies in India, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, the Russian Federation and other countries.
Employees of the Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus have developed a series original preparations based on amino acids and their modified derivatives. They have created and introduced into production new technologies for obtaining drugs of various therapeutic effects, including a drug for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases "Asparkam", a radioprotective drug "Taurine", an immunocorrector "Leucine", antialcoholic drugs "Teturam" and "Glian". Antineoplastic, antianemic, antidrug and other drugs are under development.
The Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus opened unique Center for DNA Biotechnology... The center made it possible to more effectively introduce the achievements of genetics and genomics into health care, agriculture, sports and environmental protection in Belarus. Specialists of the same institute have begun to create a modern testing ground for transgenic plants. Here transgenic varieties of agricultural plants, including potatoes, are grown and undergo the first tests.
In the field of medicine and pharmacy, a unique system of aortic stent-graft has been developed and manufactured for endoprosthetics of thoracic aortic aneurysms during operations with artificial circulation (the cost of the system is 8-10 times cheaper than imported analogues).
In the agro-industrial complex, a Holstein population of dairy cattle of domestic selection (960 thousand heads) has been created. The average milk yield exceeds the milk yield of the black-and-white population of Belarus by 506 kg. A system for managing milk production processes has been developed, which works on the "just-in-time" principle. The expected economic effect will be at least USD 3 million.
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has created an information and analytical system “HLA-typed donors of the Republic of Belarus for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation”. As of July 1, 2017, it has been introduced in 29 health care institutions.
Scientists of the Joint Institute for Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus have developed supercomputer "SKIF-GRID" based on 12-core AMD Opteron processors and GPU accelerators. The peak performance of this cluster, excluding acceleration using GPUs, is 8 Teraflops. The efficiency index of the cluster has been brought to 82.15%. And in 2016, a new personal supercomputer was created, which is 2.5 times more powerful than the SKIF supercomputer.
International scientific and technical cooperation
In 2018, the share of exports of high-tech and science-intensive products in the total volume of Belarusian exports of goods and services amounted to 33.3% (planned - 32%).
As of July 2017, the Republic of Belarus carries out scientific, technical and innovative cooperation on the basis of intergovernmental agreements with 44 countries of the world, while in 2016-2017 7 new international treaties were concluded: with Georgia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, as well as the city of Shanghai (as a city of central subordination of China). The conclusion of similar agreements with Spain, Argentina, Australia and Thailand is being worked out.
Belarus has been included in the scientific programs of the European Union since the early 90s of the last century.
Among the largest projects with the participation of Belarus is the flagship initiative of the European Commission "Graphene" with a budget of 1 billion euros. Its main task is the transition within 10 years from the study of this new unique material to its widespread industrial use.
In 2016, contracts were signed for the implementation of two scientific and innovative projects. In the MESMERISE project, the Belarusian Unitary Enterprise "ADANI" participates in the development and testing of a non-intrusive scanner with a high resolution and unique properties that will make it possible to recognize chemicals and objects hidden inside the human body and to reveal other anomalies starting from 100 grams. The second project - STIMEY (with the participation of Polotsk State University) - is aimed at stimulating the interest of children and adolescents aged 10-18 years to receive education in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Only at a temporary distance the contours and scales of many events and phenomena of the recent past begin to appear. Great things are seen at a distance. What has been done during the years of independence?
Economic growth
Consistent economic growth has been observed since 1996, when the first All-Belarusian People's Assembly approved the Main Directions of the country's socio-economic development for 1996-2000. In the course of their implementation, the first economic results were obtained, and in 2000 the country surpassed the indicators of the pre-crisis 1990 in terms of production of industrial products, consumer goods, and real money incomes of the population. She began to receive practical confirmation of the correctness of the chosen model of the country's socio-economic development. If in 1994 the average monthly income of citizens was $ 20 in equivalent, then in 2001 wages rose to $ 100, at the end of 2005 - $ 261, and today this figure has almost doubled.
food security
In terms of food production, our country is one of the leaders among the post-Soviet states. In 2014, the country per capita produced 113 kg of meat in slaughter weight, 707 kg of milk, 417 eggs, 662 kg of potatoes. More than 80 percent of the population's food needs are met by domestic production. Food imports are around 8 percent. Moreover, over the years of independence, our country has become one of the five leading suppliers of milk and dairy products in the world.
Minsk agreements
Independent Belarus became the first of the post-Soviet states to renounce the possession of nuclear weapons and completed their withdrawal from its territory at the end of 1996. Our country is a party to all major agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, we have ratified the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms and the Lisbon Protocol. In 1995, we signed a Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA. A major UN initiative in the field of maintaining international peace and security was Alexander Lukashenko's proposal to create a nuclear-weapon-free space in Central and Eastern Europe. And today the peacekeeping role of our country is widely known also thanks to its efforts to normalize the situation in Ukraine.
Peaceful atom
In January 2008, it was decided to build the first nuclear power plant in our country. On August 9, 2012, at the construction site near Ostrovets, a ceremony was held for the President to lay a capsule with a message to future generations. Construction of the station continues today. Our nuclear power plant will consist of two power units with a total capacity of up to 2,400 MW. In accordance with the general contract for the construction of the station, the first power unit is planned to be commissioned in 2018, and the second in 2020.
Space exploration
On July 22, 2012, we launched our own spacecraft from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, becoming from that moment a space power. As a result, we got the opportunity to create an independent Earth remote sensing system, which will allow us to refuse the services of other states for receiving and processing space information. It is in demand in forestry, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. In the same year, our fellow countryman, a native of Cherven, Oleg Novitsky, visited space as part of the Russian crew.
Arena of planetary significance
Sport is another area of \u200b\u200bour rightful pride. 75 of our citizens became Olympic champions, more than 26 thousand physical culture and sports facilities function in the country. The most significant of them is the multifunctional cultural and sports complex “Minsk-Arena” - one of the most modern multifunctional buildings in Europe. Its construction began in the spring of 2006, and its grand opening took place on January 30, 2010 as part of the 2nd KHL All-Star Game.
MKSK “Minsk-Arena” has taken the leading position as the most capacious site among all the sites of the KHL teams and is one of the leading ice hockey arenas in Europe in terms of spectator capacity. The structure, impressive with its high-tech architectural design, surpassing all previously built sports arenas in the country in terms of external beauty, internal design and a range of modern services, is a landmark not only of our country, but of the entire European continent. It was she who became the main site of the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship.
Universal value
Mir Castle became, in fact, the embodiment of the fate of our land. It was burned by the Swedes, it was taken by storm by Suvorov, it was destroyed by Napoleon's army ... In 2006, the restoration of its complex, which had been languidly dragging on since Soviet times, received a second wind. If in the USSR the restoration of a unique historical complex was carried out at very modest means and not always with high-quality materials, then this work was completed in an independent country with the use of modern technologies. On December 16, 2010 the ceremonial opening of the complex took place. Today Mir Castle, according to the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, is one of the sites, and there are 981 such sites all over the world, recognized as “universal value” in accordance with the 1972 World Heritage Convention. It is included in the List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage.
Architectural transformation
The National Library is rightfully called the visiting card of the country. The original building in the form of a complex polyhedron invariably attracts the eyes of Minsk residents and guests of the city. The grandiose construction began in 2002, the President opened the library on June 16, 2006.
Today it is not only the richest collection of books (about 9 million copies in more than 80 languages), but also a huge multifunctional center where high technologies, ultra-modern design and unusual architecture are combined. It is an information, research, sociocultural and sociopolitical center of our country. In 2005, on behalf of the President, the Center for International Meetings and Negotiations at the level of Heads of State and Government was established here. Presidents, heads of governments and parliaments, international organizations, well-known scientists, writers, and artists have often become guests of honor of the National Library.
Combat-ready defense
Prospective requirements for the Armed Forces formed the basis of the Concept of their construction until 2020. In accordance with it, the goal of the construction and development of modern armed forces is to increase their combat effectiveness primarily through the modernization and rearmament of new types of weapons and military equipment, an increase in the quality of training of military command and control bodies and troops. Our Armed Forces are viewed as the main factor in the strategic containment of external threats, as well as ensuring stability in the state.
Better to see once
The concentrated embodiment of the achievements of our country over the years of independence is personally demonstrated by the Museum of Modern Belarusian Statehood. No other post-Soviet country has a similar center for the collection, study, preservation and presentation of modern history. Here are the first decrees of the President, samples of state awards, models of buildings that have been recently erected or restored, developments of scientists of the National Academy of Sciences, sports trophies.