The Ministry of Economy has summed up the results of the "Import Substitution" competition, where the title of "Producer of the Year" based on the results of activities for 2025 was awarded to the BNTU "Polytechnic" Science and Technology Park. The awards ceremony for the winners and laureates will take place on March 20, 2026, at the capital's Dipservice Hall. For our part, we spoke with the technology park's innovation entrepreneurship support manager, Maxim Zhurkevich, to find out which product brought the technology park such a high award and what lies behind the status of an "exemplary" producer.
Within the framework of the "Import Substitution" competition, which was organized by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, commercial organizations across the country were evaluated. As Maxim Vasilyevich noted, in the "Producer of the Year" category, experts looked at dynamics: the growth in production volumes of import-substituting products and the increase in their share in the enterprise's overall portfolio.
— The winners and laureates of the competition were determined by an expert commission. The conditions for participation also included the absence of losses, arrears in taxes and wages, as well as a "clean" business reputation of the director, — specified the representative of the technology park.
— What specific product or project allowed you to win in the "Producer of the Year" category?
— The main share in ensuring the growth indicator of the production volume of import-substituting products for Polytechnic was made up of the knee joint endoprosthesis with an implantation system, as well as medical products for traumatology and orthopedics.
The technology park's products are supplied to domestic healthcare institutions, replacing imported analogues and allowing Belarusian doctors to provide high-tech care to patients in a timely manner.
The journey from the engineering idea of import-substituting products to the operating room took more than ten years. According to Maxim Vasilyevich, the creation of such a complex product range became possible only thanks to systematic financial support from the state and the innovation fund of the Minsk City Executive Committee. However, the main difficulties awaited the developers not in the workshops.
— There were also difficulties on the path to market entry: lengthy registration procedures for new medical devices, strong competition from foreign suppliers for the Belarusian market, — shared Maxim Zhurkevich.
Despite all the obstacles, 2025 became a breakthrough year for the enterprise. The technology park produced import-substituting products worth 5.76 million US dollars. This figure is more than double the result of 2024 (2.79 million dollars). Such a significant leap, as explained at the enterprise, did not happen by chance. It was a direct consequence of the implementation of the instruction from the Head of State and the Government to reduce the queues of patients in need of major joint endoprosthetics.
The secret of financial stability and discipline in the current economic conditions at the enterprise is explained as follows:
— The main value for an innovative enterprise is the team, its employees. Thanks to the hard work and involvement of each employee of Polytechnic, the most complex tasks are solved. Every employee is an important cog in a large mechanism that works to achieve results. This result cannot always be seen quickly, sometimes it will be felt after years. But every employee understands that the task of the enterprise is not only to make a profit, but also to participate in solving national tasks, to contribute to building a socially oriented economy.
— What would you advise other commercial organizations in Belarus that are just planning to submit applications for the competition next year?
— We can advise other enterprises and organizations not to be afraid to participate in such competitions; it is not only a recognition of achievements but also good advertising. And to achieve excellent results and victories, it is important to concentrate on one thing — quality.
The plans for 2026 include not only maintaining the achieved positions but also conquering new frontiers. The technology park understands that it is not easy to maintain the previous growth rates, so they intend to focus on increasing the share of exports and developing foreign markets. Participation in competitions will continue – it's both about image and additional motivation for the team.
The victory of the BNTU "Polytechnic" Science and Technology Park in the "Import Substitution" competition is not just a formal recognition of the merits of a single enterprise, but a clear example of how systematic state support, long-term scientific developments, and a focus on the real needs of the country make it possible to achieve significant results. By focusing on the main thing – product quality and solving the national task of import substitution in medicine – the technology park not only increased production volumes but also confirmed that a Belarusian producer is capable of successfully competing with foreign suppliers, contributing to national security and social well-being.
