Meeting to discuss new academy of intelligent technologies

The creation of a new university, the Academy of Intelligent Technologies, has been placed on the agenda of a meeting chaired by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 4 August.

The discussion included representatives of the government, the President Administration, the National Academy of Sciences, relevant ministries, and higher education institutions.

“Let me say this right away: a second fundamental science institute is not needed in Belarus. I don’t rule out that this research center will include plenty of fundamental science or its elements. But it must have an applied focus. Above all, it must be for real life. It can be aimed at a certain timeframe, but preferably not the distant future,” the President said. “We need to create something that will be needed tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko explained that representatives of domestic fundamental science do a lot of talking and promising, but do not generate any real breakthrough ideas. “They keep studying and studying, saying that without fundamental science there can be no applied sciences, and so on. There is no fundamental science, while applied sciences do produce something, but not much,” he said.

The new educational institution has so far been proposed as an academy, but it could also take the form of a scientific center of the future. The project is extremely important and timely for the country. Its implementation will make it possible to systematize and elevate the work with talented, gifted individuals to a new level.

The center should bring together the best minds, regardless of age, so that they can unlock their potential and bring maximum benefit to the country and society, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “Young people, teenagers, fully grown adults, or retirees - we need to decide. Age doesn’t matter. The key thing is what’s inside their heads. That’s my view, and I want to hear yours,” the head of state said.

Overall, the President noted that some steps have already been taken in working with gifted individuals, and results are visible. “The number of focused, competent young people ready to continuously learn is growing every year. Just this year, about 600 winners of international olympiads and competitions, as well as Presidential scholarship recipients, have been admitted to universities,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The task for the Belarus President Administration and the government is to ensure that these bright, capable, talented young people stay in the country and contribute to its development.

A significant contribution to training the best of the best is made by the National Children’s Technopark. Each year, about 150 of its graduates receive recommendations and are admitted to engineering programs without entrance exams. However, the President sees a need to take a closer look at how well they subsequently perform at university and whether they ultimately become specialists in their fields.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that by focusing on the introduction of cutting-edge educational technologies in working with talented children, Belarus has begun to shape an intellectual elite.

“Time does not stand still, and we need to make a qualitative leap in working with gifted young people, and not only young people,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. “Building the economy of the future is impossible without the accelerated development of the higher education system.”

This entails the creation of a radically new educational environment - flexible, interdisciplinary, results-oriented, and integrated into real economic processes. And first and foremost, tailored to Belarus’ needs.

“That is precisely why the need has arisen to create a new university - a university of the future. And we have agreed that such an institution, or, as you call it, an academy, should come into being today,” said the head of state.

The President warned that this does not mean that other universities and the National Academy of Sciences can wash their hands of training specialists for knowledge-intensive industries and shift all responsibility onto the academy. “No one is relieved of this task,” he said.

By the head of state’s instruction, the government and other relevant bodies have thoroughly worked through all the issues and proposed a comprehensive content-based concept for the academy’s functioning. However, before signing the final documents, Aleksandr Lukashenko decided to hear answers to a number of pressing questions at the meeting. These concern, in particular, the university’s concept, its structure, and the content of its educational programs.

“We must not make a mistake under any circumstances. Because it is costly, and we already have enough educational, research, and other centers for Belarus. My goal was to preserve all the good things left from the Soviet Union. After all, science and education were the best in the Soviet Union,” the President said.

“This center, academy, or university must not be allowed to become an ordinary institution or simply a diploma mill. We need to train specialists capable of creating their own solutions in the most promising industries,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “It is now fashionable to talk about artificial intelligence, new materials, digital industry, and quantum technologies.”

In addition to the educational track, the President has set the academy the task of becoming one of the key instruments for ensuring technological sovereignty. By generating new technologies and engineering solutions, it must work to increase enterprise productivity, export growth, and the country’s competitiveness. “Successful developments, new methods, and curricula tested at this center, academy, or university should later be implemented in other universities. The institution must become a locomotive not only of the education system but also, I would hope, of science,” the head of state said.

“Without rich natural resources, we need to invest in intellectual resources - human potential, in people, especially young people, because they are the future. We must give them the opportunity to realize their potential at home, in Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

At the same time, there is no need to impose age restrictions for admission to the new institution and to recruit only young people, the President believes. “Talented people should be given access to this academy,” he said. After all, groundbreaking ideas and developments often rely on experience gained in life and professional activity.

Moreover, the state and society have high hopes for the new academy and its future contribution to the country’s development. Perhaps they could invent a fundamentally new, powerful means of countering drones, which are on everyone’s lips right now, and such a development would render UAVs obsolete, the President suggested.

“This must be aimed at the future,” the head of state said of the areas the academy will need to work on. “Every year, we must all prove that this center was not created in vain, that our brightest, most advanced young people, and we have quite a few intelligent and progressive people, can receive a broad education there and realize themselves in this center.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that there is no need to delay the creation of the educational institution and that a final decision should be made in the near future.