The power of innovation

More than a thousand scientific developments will be demonstrated in the regions after the furore in the capital

The Intellectual Belarus exhibition caused a wide resonance. For three days, domestic science attracted an inexhaustible flow of inquisitive visitors to the BelExpo exhibition pavilion in Minsk. The President instructed to extend the work of the exhibition in Minsk, as well as to expand the exposition and add other Belarusian know-how to the already exhibited 400 developments. And soon the Intellectual Belarus traveling exhibitions will go to the regions.  The exposition can definitely be called an encyclopaedia of Belarusian science, as developments from almost all areas are presented here. Wise grey-haired venerable designers, doctors of sciences, experienced and honoured people presented their innovations. However, young people are in hot pursuit (in the finest sense of this word): cheerful, perky, with fearless concepts and original ideas, but with scientific justification.  They manage to create developments that make their colleagues around the world envy.

Composite screens of Belarusian design and production are considered to be among the best and most reliable in the world. They are made up of different layers and materials. And at each level, radiation harmful to microelectronics is absorbed, reflected and refracted... So tiny microchips are reliably protected even in outer space. It is not for nothing that the Belarusian protection was used in the Japanese-European apparatus, which recently reached Mercury. Including, and thanks to Belarusian developments.
The Joint Institute of Informatics Problems has created a computer simulation system using artificial intelligence for drug development. Many diseases are associated with a dysfunction of one or another protein in the blood. And according to its 3-D model, one can quickly select a molecule of already known substances or model a new one that can potentially become an effective medicine. Of course, the need for clinical trials remains relevant. But modelling allows one to reduce the number of substances that need to be tested — from several thousand to hundreds, or even tens. 
Belarusian science has learned to develop and produce ‘spare parts’ for the human body. The exhibition presents a wide range of orthopaedic products. Including artificial joints. The biological valve of the heart is another novelty of this scientific season. The frame is made of nitinol, and the outer shell is animal pericardium. Now the valve is undergoing the necessary clinical trials, after which it will become a reliable heart friend for patients who need it.
The technology of restoration and conservation, mastered by the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, makes it possible to restore and preserve archaeological finds so that ancient artefacts can be stored for a long time. Original, thin, technological products of past centuries appear from shapeless archaeological finds.


A junior researcher at the Magnetic Film Physics Laboratory of the Scientific-Practical Materials Research Centre of NAS of Belarus Oleg Kanafiev studies the security problem in depth. Now he is writing a dissertation on the problem of the influence of constant and low-frequency radiation on electronic equipment. By the way, they are typical for electric vehicles. The same trolleybuses give just such radiation. Oleg Kanafiev knows how to create protection against destructive influence. It seems that the box in his hands looks inconspicuous. But its walls are covered with a thin layer of nanomaterials. Such a housing protects the electronic components from electromagnetic radiation. And in terms of armour, it is up to a thousand times superior to similar materials that are offered on the world market.
Now the young scientist and his colleagues are closely engaged in the MAZ electric tractor from the point of view of electromagnetic radiation, conflicts and pickups. By the way, our blocks are ahead of the famous Tesla in terms of the level of protection. They use simpler, but less reliable solutions. And here is the question of principle: safety. Our young scientists are guided by the most indestructible solutions. Therefore, if you seek beauty — go to the Americans. If you seek safety — go to the Belarusians.
 

There is no such thing as bad weather for the development of the junior researcher of the BSU Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Problems Dmitry Kudryavsky. His polymer-containing liquid mono-microfertilisers are not afraid of the rain or heavy rain.
The polymer additive produced by the Belarusian enterprise Lesohimik retains nutrients in the zone of the root system of plants and is not washed away by storm flows. 
A line of effective fertilisers for cereals, corn, rapeseed and sugar beet has been developed. Farming is becoming more sustainable, fertiliser consumption can be halved. Both cost savings and pressure on the ecological system are reduced. Belarusian farms have tasted the novelty. More than 55 tonnes of fertilisers with a polymer additive have already been produced and sold. It’s a relatively small figure, but this is just the beginning. 


Among the projects presented by young Belarusian scientists, there are those that until recently many could see only in the cinema. Head of the Sector for Complex Research of Meat Products at the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry of the National Academy of Sciences Irina Kaltovich is one of the developers of 3D printing technology for products. She is confident that approaches to cooking will change a lot in the next 5-10 years, “For the first time in the country, we created a direction in the food industry and developed 3D printing of products for personalised nutrition. It takes into account the individual and physiological characteristics of a person. Thanks to our development, it is possible to model the composition of the product and its unique shape, depending on the needs of the body.  Similar foreign technologies provide non-natural additives in such mixtures. We have a natural healthy product. In this regard, we are one step ahead of our competitors.”


And at the Fish Industry Institute, they work according to the taste wishes of consumers.
Anastasia Kruk, a researcher at the institute’s selection and breeding laboratory, said that scientists are now working on creating a new breed of carp. The process is at the final stage, the new species is undergoing the necessary registration, therefore, apparently, it will soon appear on our table. Carp should become attractive for culinary specialists. Breeders were able to reduce the number of scales, reduce the head and tail, increase the meatiness... By the way, more than ten species of carp are cultivated in Belarus, combining them into various hybrids.
They are engaged in the institute and the adaptation of foreign breeds to our area of management.

These and hundreds of other developments and know-how of native science can soon be seen and admired in all regions of Belarus. You should definitely come — it will be interesting!

Based on materials of sb.by
Photos by Darya Titova, Nadezhda Andreichik