A type of international technology transfer is international technical assistance, the programs of which have been widely implemented by the world community since the late 1970s.
These programmes, implemented on a two- or multilateral basis, are designed to provide technical assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition in the areas of technological processes, products and management. Technical assistance programs are developed and implemented by the UN, IMF, World Bank, OECD and other international organizations.
Technical assistance is defined as the transfer of know-how through activities such as training, policy implementation, advice, partnerships and research. It is provided in the form of free technology grants and projects of co-financing of technology development.
International scientific and technological cooperation (ISTC) is an integral part of the state scientific and technical policy of the Republic of Belarus. It contributes to the development of contacts between scientists and innovators of the country in priority areas of scientific, technical and innovative activities, as well as improving the situation in its resource provision – personnel, material and technical, information. This is the aim of the state science and technology policy, its international component, as well as, ultimately, all agreements and agreements on cooperation in the scientific and technical sphere, both intergovernmental and interdepartmental, and with international and national organizations, programs and funds.
The legal basis for the implementation of international scientific and technical cooperation is international treaties and agreements. The Republic of Belarus has concluded more than 30 bilateral and over 10 multilateral (within the framework of the CIS) agreements on cooperation in the field of science and technology. Interaction with a number of international organizations is deepening: the International Association for Cooperation with Scientists from the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (INTAS), the International Center for Science and Technology (ISTC), the International Center for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI), the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, CERN, the NATO Scientific Committee, SCOPES and others.
Of exceptional importance for Belarus are the international aspects of the problem of intellectual property protection, which are solved by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Specialists of the National Center for Intellectual Property underwent internships at WIPO on issues related to work under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The Center’s constant contacts with WIPO make it possible to develop and improve the legislative framework in the field of industrial property.
In order to develop a competitive economy, Belarus should acquire the necessary and sell its own knowledge obtained within the country in the world market of scientific and technical products in the most profitable way for itself. In this regard, the state policy of Belarus in the field of international scientific and technical cooperation (ISTS), which is part of the state scientific, technical and innovation policy, is designed to ensure the compliance of international scientific and technical cooperation with the tasks of developing science and technology in the conditions of the emerging market economy, taking into account the interests of national security, foreign policy and foreign economic courses of the country.