Innovations. Investments. Prospects forum to take place at FEZ Vitebsk

The 10th edition of the international economic forum Innovations. Investments. Prospects will take place in Vitebsk on 15-16 July, BelTA learned from Director of the Vitebsk Oblast Marketing Center Irina Makarenko.

The forum is a traditional event to present the potential of enterprises and districts of Vitebsk Oblast. It is no coincidence that this year the Free Economic Zone Vitebsk has been chosen as the venue of the main economic event of the region for the first time. It is one of the main points of growth in the region, the preferential regime of which creates favorable conditions for the attraction of advanced technologies and industries, said Irina Makarenko. The central theme of the forum will be import substitution in innovative projects. This year, the organizers have planned the business program in such a way as to provide maximum assistance to business entities in adapting to work amid sanctions restrictions by providing expertise of emerging opportunities, finding new models of cooperation and technological solutions.

Taking into account the experience of 2021, the events will be held in a combined offline and online format, with preference given to the organization of face-to-face communication between the participants as the most effective form of interaction, Irina Makarenko explained. Organizing the forum during the international festival of arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk will be an additional factor that will increase the effectiveness of the business event, she added.

Traditionally, the forum will be opened with a plenary session which will feature representatives of Vitebsk Oblast, partner regions, the leading enterprises of the different sectors. The forum will include panel discussions on such relevant topics as modern tools for increasing exports, the cluster model of development, the role of the education system in developing innovations.

The first round table for women-entrepreneurs will be organized as part of the forum. This format will bring together businesswomen from Vitebsk Oblast and partner regions of Russia to discuss the issues of business education and subcontracting. The business program of the forum will include the following expositions: “Clusters - drivers of regional development”, “Innovative developments and products of the Vitebsk Oblast enterprises”, “Youth innovative business projects”, and an exhibition of districts under the general title Vitebsk Export 2022.

More than 30 delegations and representatives of the diplomatic corps from 13 countries participated in the events of the 9th International Economic Forum in 2021.