The State Science and Technology Committee (SSTC) of Belarus has plans to invite German experts to evaluate innovative projects in 2016, BelTA learned from SSTC Chairman Alexander Shumilin. “Other editions of the national contest of innovative projects will be organized in the future. For example, we have plans to invite European experts, including German ones, in 2016. We are also in talks with South Korea, will further develop cooperation with Russia, the Skolkovo Foundation. We will work to make the contest and our projects international,” Alexander Shumilin emphasized. He added that the national contest of innovative projects underwent some changes in 2015. Those were related to the experts or, more particularly, to the criteria for their selection. “We will continue to invite specialists who are in business for many years, who deal with financing of innovative projects and business planning. For example, we are holding talks with the Belarusian Zubr Capital and other investment funds. I think that during the next year experts will focus their attention on the commercialization potential of projects and not only on their scientific component. Ideas are manifold. However, Belarusians still know little about how to make profit from their ideas,” Alexander Shumilin said. He also pointed out that four projects were selected for commercialization last year. Each author got a certificate for Br116.8 million. “This means that the contest is becoming a mechanism for the development of startups as we do not only choose the winner but also provide initial funding for the implementation of the projects. Besides, in 2015 for the first time we gave money for drafting of business plans to several projects. Of course, it is great when someone has an idea. However, businessmen invest money not in ideas but rather in business models that promise a yield. To get a business interested, at least a decent business plan is needed. Sometimes it is not an easy task for an engineer, so we helped some of our contestants at this stage,” Alexander Shumilin explained. As for the projects that were presented at the contest in 2015, the SSTC Chairman said there were no top five or top ten for him. “The National Academy of Sciences selects top ten fundamental research projects every year. The State Science and Technology Committee does not have such a practice, but I believe this is a good idea. We can announce SSTC's ranking of solutions that have already been implemented or are ready for manufacturing application during the contest of innovative projects,” Alexander Shumilin noted.