In Soviet times, thanks to its well developed industry, Belarus was known as the USSR’s ‘assembly plant’. Even now, heavy machinery remains the staple of Belarusian exports, with every 10th tractor in the world produced in Minsk. The future of Belarusian exports may lie, however, with something much lighter than heavy farming equipment: nanotechnology research. The study of the molecular and atomic scale of matter, is a field in which Belarusian scientists have developed an expertise that is recognised by their international peers.

Belarusian scientists are now waiting for recognition from the private sector in the hope that their complex research will find practical use. “We do see investors coming, but not as often as we would like them to,” says professor Sergei Chizhik, general scientific secretary at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB). There is little wonder that investors in this field are welcome; according to the estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global market for nanotechnology is worth as much a $3000bn, and countries such as Indonesia and the US have launched programmes linking research in nano-related fields with the private sector.

Push for the co-operation

The National Nanotechnology Initiative programme in the US releases as much as $1.7bn a year to be allocated into federal R&D projects. Belarusian scientists cannot count on such generous cash injections, but that does not mean they have given up and produce only theoretical models.

“Two-thirds of our budget should come from co-operation with the private sector, half of that with international partners,” says Mr Chizhik, who stresses that the NASB is proactive in commercialising its research, as it has contracts signed with international partners from 44 countries, which in 2010 brought $26m in revenues (up from $17.1m in 2009).

Significantly, while exports from Belarusian R&D entities increase, recognition for their work does not necessarily follow. “Often we hear from our foreign partners that they want to work with us, but under a different label than ours. We need to develop our co-operation networks and market [our achievements] better,” says Mr Chizhik. And there are plenty of achievements to be showcased, as the NASB produces about 600 patents annually with the projects ranging from delivering solutions to LED panels production to the modification of cutting and drilling tools made with synthetic diamonds and cubic boron nitride.

In the field of nanotechnology, the NASB focuses on studies of mechanical and thermal properties of micro and nanometer scale, the development of computational models of molecular dynamics, methods of thermal probe microscopy and the development of a new type of hydrogen storage in nano-sized metal films and instruments for the formation of molecular thin films.

The power of tradition 

“Traditionally, since Soviet times, there has been a strong emphasis on science. We may not have enough resources, but powerful minds – definitely,” says Dr Andrei A Leshok, director of nanoelectronics and novel materials centre at the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics (BSUIR).

Belarusian scientists are keen not to be marginalised, even if current conditions in the domestic R&D field do not always play in their favour. For that reason, once every two years, scientists from BSUIR organise Nanomeetings – an international conference aimed at gathering together specialists working on nanostructures.

“After each conference our papers are published by World Scientific, and that is very prestigious,” stresses Professor Victor E Borisenko, chairman of the micro and nanoelectronics department at BSUIR. However, as much as international co-operation is a priority for BSUIR, its efforts have not resulted in many commercial products to date, though there are a few. “Among other projects, we currently work on silicon nanowires that can be used in electronics and also in solar cells. We also conduct research in processes connected in purification of air and water,” says Mr Borisenko.

The scientists from NASB and BSUIR declare in unison that they would like to see more of their research used by the industries, and in order to do that, foreign investors are crucial. “Our big local companies are not always willing to take risks and try new approaches or methods. Smaller, private companies are more [likely] to take risks... and if a foreign company wants to work on the project with us... we will not refuse,” says Mr Chizhik. Mr Borisenko agrees: “Our results are mostly scientific and they need to be adapted. There should be linkages between research and industrial production.”