Project Group "Management Training and East Europe Co-Operations" and Federal Association of Technology Parks and Innovation Centers ADT, Berlin (Germany), jointly with the Republican Centre for Technology Transfer (RCTT) and the Metolit Technopark (Belarus), with the financial support from the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology and the Belarusian Innovation Foundation, with the organizational assistance of the KfW Federal Development Bank, are currently in the process of implementation of the professional training project titled "Innovation Management, Technology Transfer and International Technology Cooperation". The target trainees - representatives of the network of RCTT regional and branch offices, as well as those from other organizations, institutions and enterprises involved in the innovation activity, R&D commercialization, promotion of the innovation entrepreneurship and international technology transfer - will avail themselves of the fine opportunity to have a month-long study and training on Germany's best practices in the relevant activity fields. Studying the experience of Germany is the more so valuable that this high-develop industrial country possesses immense economic potential, and it is second to none of the European economies with its biggest share of SMEs in the private sector. Furthermore, Germany is the world leader in terms of the density of technology-related entities per square kilometer of its territory. SMEs, including those specialized in the innovation activity, enjoy every possible support from the German government. The state authorities realize quite well that the national economy would fail to achieve the main goal (ensuring steady, sustainable, well-balanced economic growth along with the high employment rate) without fostering the innovative incentives and giving additional support to the development of the technology transfer infrastructure.

Under step 1, the proposed training programme has provided for an initial seminar in Minsk, at the Metolit Technopark. As step 2, there is an array of brief workshops, seminars and presentations to be held at the federal Ministry of Economy and Technology, at technology foundations, industrial research associations, technology and innovation parks, innovation SMEs, companies, agencies involved in support and direct development of the innovation activity, technology transfer. Some industrial leader brands are to be involved in the training course, too. Afterwards, each of the Belarusian specialists is to have a short-time individual internship at one or two German technology transfer organizations, with the aim of establishing direct R&D partnerships and developing the bilateral collaboration in the technology transfer sphere. The final issue of the programme is a seminar to sum up the outcome of the foreign study tour. During the seminar the trainees are supposed to present their own pilot projects based on the accrued knowledge and experience. These projects are meant to be implemented at the trainees' organizations and enterprises.

A special expert panel, with the assistance of RCTT and Metolit, will select the candidates for the training, on a competitive basis.

A certain part of the funds for the Belarus-hosted planned events will come under the auspices of the Project "Strengthening the National System for Technology Transfer in the Republic of Belarus on the Basis of Information and Communication Technologies" jointly run by Government of Belarus, UNDP and UNIDO. The Belarusian Innovation Foundation is to provide the rest of the funding from the Belarusian part.