The future of Armenia is in high-tech industry

Armenia had advanced science sphere in the Soviet times. After the
collapse of USSR, Armenia had to face such problems as financing, a
brain drain, and the closing of many science institutes. Other
problems were the energy crisis in the 1990s and the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

According to the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science, the
budget finances 130 science organizations, including the institutes of
the Academy of Sciences, higher education centers, research centers.

In Soviet times Armenia had 25,000 people working in the science
sphere, today there are only 7, 500. Most of the staff that are left
are middle aged. Today the average age of a PhD is 52 years old,
Doctors' of Science - 62. The equipment is 25-30 years old and does
not allow the carrying out of high quality experiments. The Soviet
government was spending $500-600 million dollars on Armenian science
annually, today Armenia spends only $25-27 million.

President of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Radik Martirosyan
believes that science lacks financing. 0.2% of GDP is spent on science
(Georgia and Azerbaijan spend 0.5%, Russia - 1.1%, EU countries - 2%).
The strategy of developing Armenian science will make science
financing equal to 2% of GDP.

The chairman of the State Committee for Science Samvel Arutyun said
that Armenia still has potential. Armenian scientists have published
over 6000 articles, mainly in physics and biology, in various highly
rated science journals since 1992. The number of science article in
Armenia exceeds the number in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine.
But they are behind Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

According to the concept of science reforms adopted in 2007, the State
Committee developed a new strategy of science development. It includes
improvement of material and technical basis, optimization of science
facilities. Armenia will train new staff to integrate into European
and world science space. The State Committee and science fund 'Luys'
are providing grants for young scientists.


The new order of financing is also under discussion. The order will
select science projects only based on contest and will finance only
the ones that will have clear science-research results. The head of
staff office of the State Committee Karen Ayrapetyan believes that the
current order of issuing science requests and expertise of science
reports diffuse finances. The new financing system will be turned into
a grant system.

The new law on science will play an important role in reforming
science. It will be considered in autumn and it is aimed at improving
management of the academy, clarification of its functions and
structure and status. The project will also determine the place and
role of science and science institutes, which currently work basing on
orders of corresponding science branches.

Developing science plays a very important role in a country that lacks
natural resources like Armenia. Experts believe that Armenia should
rely on human resources, which requires competitive science. Samvel
Arutyun considers that the future of Armenia is in high-tech science.
He believes that his country can achieve success in microelectronics,
nanotechnologies, precision instrument manufacturing.

Author: Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for VK