Innovations: crucial factor of development

20.05.2015 10:01

INNOVATIONS: CRUCIAL FACTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

The 8th National Fair of Innovative Ideas, Technologies and Projects has opened in Tashkent
Prospects of activities related to innovation have been expanding in our country from one year to another. Energetic use of the achievements of contemporary science, creation of new technologies, innovation products allow for the intensification of modernization process, technical and technological re-equipment of manufacturing capacities and boost production of goods competitive in the internal and external markets. 
The National Fair of Innovative Ideas, Technologies and Projects has become an effective platform that integrates cooperation ties between science and production. It is organized by the Committee for the Coordination of the Development of Science and Technologies under the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries of economy and of foreign economic relations, investments and trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This traditional fair is actively attended by ministries, other government agencies, banks, enterprises of all sectors of economy, including the representatives of small business and private entrepreneurship, farming enterprises, academic research institutes of the Academy of Sciences, higher education institutions. 
President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Salihov and other speakers at the event noted that the comprehensive support for the scientific and innovative activities under the leadership of President Islam Karimov has been affording a potent impetus to the economic growth of our country, to the enhancement of scales and scopes of scientific research works, protection and further development of intellectual property, introduction of new inventions into production, manufacturing of export oriented goods, saving of natural resources and provision for environmental stability. These goals are served by the resolution of head of our state on Additional Measures to Stimulate the Introduction if Innovative Projects and Technologies to Production, signed 15 July 2008, as well as the Decree on the Program of Measures to Secure Structural Reforms, Modernization and Diversification of Production for 2015-2019, inked 4 March 2015. 
The results of the previous fairs were indicative of the effectiveness of stimulation of innovative activities. They convincingly suggest that Uzbekistan’s scientific potential is rather high and national inventions not only are inferior to foreign counterparts, but also often surpass them across many indicators. 
Around five hundred innovation projects are demonstrated at the 8th National Fair of Innovative Ideas, Technologies and Projects in such fields as manufacturing industry, agriculture, healthcare, information technologies and science. These are brand new innovations created by scholars, specialists and inventors in our country. 
Research fellows of the Institute of Energy Industry and Automatics present their innovative inventions in power saving and alternative energy. Thus, a group of authors have invented a micro hydropower station that works with the help of water wheel or hydraulic turbine. It is designed for uninterrupted supply of electric energy to facilities in places hard to access, that is, small population points, meadows, hydrometeo stations and other objects. 
“The micro hydropower station is distinct with high environmental indicators, it saves the natural landscape for a full extent as well as the environment,” says Dilshod Kodirov, one of the authors of the innovation, junior research fellow of the Institute. “The first experimental sample is set up in one of the famer enterprises of Urta Chirchik District, and it has been displaying excellent results in energy production.” 
This year, several new fields of interest have been launched at the fair. In particular, for the attraction of attention and investments of national and foreign manufacturers to the most advanced technologies created by scientific institutions and higher education institutions of the country, an interest field “High Technologies” (Hi-Tech) functions at the premises. It presents cell technologies, pharmaceuticals, innovative inventions in information technologies and others. 
In recent years, the organizers of the fair have been attaching a tremendous significance to such field as the use of alternative sources of energy. For industrial enterprises and entities of small business and private entrepreneurship, another new division has been launched under a title “Power and Resource Saving Technologies.” It demonstrates inventions in saving energy resources, in effective methods in the use of renewable sources of power, energy saving buildings and facilities, as well as in energy audit. 
Also presented at the fair are nanotechnologies that can boldly be referred to as the technologies of the future. Uzbek scientists have been active in research in this relatively new field of science, the outcomes of which are demonstrated at the current fair. Thus, created at the scientific platform of the Ferghana Polytechnic with the engagement of foreign investor, the Maidaizol-Invest Limited has invented a protective power saving cover from nano particles. 
As Professor Sirojiddin Ergashev, head of the academic department at the Institute, suggested, this substance is identical to an ordinary dye and is put on various technological devices. The nano cover gets cold within five minutes and reliably safeguards the heat energy. A layer of one millimeter in width is capable of resilience toward up to 650 degrees of heat. The old analogues of heat isolators – foam plastic and glass cotton wool – can demonstrate such a result only in a five centimeter layer. Furthermore, innovation of Ferghana scholars is 2-3 times cheaper than other heat isolators.
It is noteworthy that the innovative developments of winners of the national review contest “Innovative Ideas of Youth” are extensively presented at the fair. During the selection, a special emphasis was placed on such factors as their willingness for the realization in practice, power and materials saving, use of local raw materials, ability to access the external market with new products.
A genuine race of innovations took place at the open field of the fair: a young inventor Oybek Umarov from Andijan Region and graduates of Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent led by Bekzod Yunusov displayed electro-cars of their own making.
“Our electro-mobile is an ideal vehicle for the tourism business,” Bekzod Yunusov said. “Full battery is enough for 80 kilometers. The great number of solar days a year in our country offers opportunity not to think over charging the car. Now we are preparing documents to receive a patent and intend to create electric cars for industrial needs, as well as microbuses that move on solar energy.”
In accordance with the tradition, industrial enterprises of our country offer their presentations at the fair about the effectiveness of the introduction of innovative ideas, technologies and projects into the production sphere, telling at the same time about new inventions.
It is noteworthy that as soon as on the first day of the fair, more than 140 agreements were concluded between enterprises and project innovators for commercial introduction or procurement of science-intensive goods and technologies for over three billion soums.
Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Adham Ikramov and Ulugbek Rozukulov spoke at the opening ceremony of the fair.
Babur Abidov, photo by Sarvar Urmanov, UzA