Innovations. Investments. Prospects

VIII International Economic Forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects." May 16-17, 2019
On May 16-17, 2019, Vitebsk region will host the VIII International Economic Forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects." (hereinafter – the Forum, links to the Forum website: http://iipvit.by).
The creation and promotion of innovative technologies, the implementation of joint investment projects, and the production of high-tech, export-oriented products are traditional key themes of the Forum.
Particular attention in the business program of the Forum is paid to the topic "Import Substitution" – as the main tool for the development of the region's economy.
The Forum is planned to be attended by delegations from foreign partner regions, leading companies, trade missions, and the diplomatic corps. Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, republican and regional executive authorities, state associations, and business communities are invited.
For reference: In 2018, the Forum was attended by over 130 foreign business and government representatives, 11 regions of the Russian Federation, and 13 countries: Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Slovak Republic, Tajikistan, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the State of Israel, the Republic of Poland, the People's Republic of China, Turkey.
Our Forum is rapidly developing. This year, an increase in the number of both participating regions and delegations is expected. From forum to forum, discussion topics multiply, geography expands, the number of participants grows, and it increasingly attracts the attention of businesses to promote investment projects, seek new promising areas of cooperation, and exchange experience in using high technologies in all major areas – production, education, tourism, and others.
Diverse exhibition expositions will be organized, where districts and cities of the region will traditionally present their achievements in the field of using investments and innovations, taking into account their development specifics, and demonstrate their economic and tourism potential. The best enterprises and organizations of the region will showcase their developments and products in the "Innovation Zone," samples of import-substituting and export-oriented products.
For the first time within the framework of the Forum, a foreign pavilion of goods, services, and projects will be organized, where foreign partner regions will present leading companies and their developments. Food products, which are in constant demand abroad, will be presented separately. Guests will be able to taste them and appreciate their quality.
Businesses will be able to hold negotiations and get acquainted with achievements at demonstration sites: "IT-Zone"; "Innovative Equipment and Machinery"; "Clusters and their Role in the Development of an Innovative Economy."
Forum participants will be invited to present their regions and companies, discuss problematic issues, and exchange views within the framework of panel discussions with experienced moderators: "Interregional Cooperation in the Economic Sphere. Experience and Prospects.", "Electronic Trading Platforms for Business", "Energy Saving in Industry and Construction", "FEZ – Promising Sites for Project Implementation", "Orsha Region – a Territory for Business", "Experience and Prospects of Interregional Tourism."
Following the panel discussions, participants will be able to hold negotiations at the contact-cooperation exchange. The result will be the signing of protocols of intent, agreements, contracts, and interregional agreements.
For reference: Following the 2018 Forum, 6 cooperation agreements were signed to strengthenmutually beneficial cooperation in the socio-economic sphere.
The Forum will last two days, allowing participants to visit the most significant and promising objects in the region in terms of cooperation, according to their interests and directions, and