Abstract

This article presents the current state of the scientific and innovative sector of the Republic of Belarus in comparison with foreign countries. The connection of the study with the country’s programs of socio-economic and innovative development is also shown. The analysis of the current state of the intellectual capital of the country was carried out using graphical and tabular data based on statistical data from the National Register and research by foreign authors for 2011–2020. The main significant indicators of intellectual capital that determine scientific and technological progress and affect GDP growth are given. Thus, as a result of the analysis, it turned out that the level of expenditures on research and development in Belarus has been decreasing in recent years (on average 0.55 % of GDP) and is far from the accepted threshold of economic security (3 %), and this is one of the main engines of research effectiveness. As the practice of foreign countries leading in the field of scientific research has shown, spending on research and development (R&D) leading to significant results should be about 3 %: in the EU 2–3 % of GDP, in the USA – 2.7 %, China – 2.19 %, and in Korea and Israel, they reach 4.5–5 % of GDP. The article also provides a link between the growth rate of research costs and GDP growth, changes in the number of organizations engaged in research, the share of scientific degrees (Doctors and Candidates of Sciences) in the total number of researchers, changes in the number of higher educational institutions.

Analysis of Intellectual Capital of Belarus