Science and Technology in Armenia Toward a Knowledge-Based Economy (2004) / Chapter Skim
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1 Overview of the Science, Technology, and Higher Education Infrastructure
1 Overview of the Science, Technology, and Higher Education Infrastructure
Pages 5-23
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From page 5... ...
Combined with the serious energy shortage that Armenia experienced in 1992-1994, these hardships have caused a drastic reduction in national income. Although the Armenian government's economic restructuring efforts have produced encouraging growth indicators every year since 1995, with particularly strong improvements in the most recent years, poverty, unemployment, and underemployment remain substantial problems for the country.
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From page 6... ...
By way of comparison, according to official Armenian government statistics, the entire Armenian research and development sector, including non-NAS-RA institutions, employed 6,737 people in 2002.1 The size and structure of the NAS-RA is a product of Armenia's Soviet past. The Academy was founded in 1943, as Armenia became a center of S&T research providing support services for the entire Soviet Union.
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From page 7... ...
Reorganization of the NAS-RA, which has been suggested many times, could entail significant social costs. It might also be difficult to reallocate funds saved from reduced Academy programs to support more productive scientific projects.
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From page 8... ...
The committee concentrated on these major public institutions because they set the standard for the level of education in Armenia and provide leadership in curriculum development and research. A list of all institutions of higher education, public and private, is included in Appendix D
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From page 9... ...
Second, Armenian educators survived even the disastrous economic period that followed the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Administrators at YSMU and other institutions are proud that in contrast to many other universities in the region, classes continued to be held despite severe shortages of electricity, heat, and other basic services during the worst years of this period.
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From page 10... ...
In February 2004, the Armenian government attempted to address this issue by introducing a bill in parliament that would have eliminated all draft exemptions for postgraduate students. Students and others in the research and education communities protested, arguing that mandatory service for all would either spur prospective graduate students to leave the country or leave them hopelessly behind in their studies and unable to continue after their two-year term in the army.
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From page 11... ...
It provides grants to former weapons scientists in the former Soviet Union to promote the redirection of their skills toward civilian-oriented research.
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From page 12... ...
specializes in fields related to architectural design and civil engineering. Within the 3Degree programs include the three-year junior engineer degree, the bachelor of engineering degree, the five-year diploma specialist degree, the master of engineering degree, and the two-year research engineer degree, the last of which, when followed by three years of supervised research, leads to the kandidat (Ph.D.
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From page 13... ...
The YSUAC faculty members conduct research on about 40 topics, including transportation networks and energy issues related to closing the nuclear power plant, with funding for these efforts coming primarily from various Armenian government agencies. American University of Armenia The American University of Armenia (AUA)
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From page 14... ...
Of course, medical universities in other countries of the former Soviet Union and beyond have similar ambitions and may provide significant competition for foreign students, which in turn provides added incentive for YSMU to continue upgrading its facilities and programs. The success of YSMU in recruiting such a high proportion of foreign students suggests an interesting opportunity for economic development.
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From page 15... ...
The student population comes almost exclusively from Armenia, but the Academy hopes to attract foreign students, primarily from the South Caucasus region. The Academy's goal is to be a center for agribusiness in the area that will serve as a model not only for education, but also for research and agricultural practice.
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From page 16... ...
Completing the residency program is now a legal requirement for all physicians who want to have their own practices. Institute officials are confident that the content of the residency programs and the quality of instruction are now up to international standards.
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From page 17... ...
Improvement of contacts could be important for Armenian medical institutions to qualify as sites of human clinical trials in the future. FUNDING FOR SCIENCE There are three primary sources for the funding of research in Armenia: the government, international sources, and the private sector.
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From page 18... ...
The International Science and Technology Center is an intergovernmental organization established in 1994 to engage weapons scientists, technicians, and engineers of the former Soviet Union in peaceful, civilian S&T activities. Nonweapons scientists can be included in ISTC projects.
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From page 19... ...
; EU IST = European Union Information Society Technologies; FARA = Foundation for Applied Research and Agribusiness; INTAS = International Association for the Promotion of Cooperation with Scientists from the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union; NFSAT = National Foundation for Science and Advanced Technology; SCOPES = Scientific Cooperation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland; UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; UN ICSC-WL = United Nations International Center for Science and CultureWorld Laboratory. SOURCE: National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, February 2004.
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From page 20... ...
Subsidies for conferment of degrees in sciences 24.3 0.8 Institute of Management and Economic Reforms of 19.0` 0.6 the Ministry of State Property Management Subsidies for editing summary list of Armenian 14.1 0.5 monuments NAS-RA Center for Molecular Structure Research 8.0 0.3 Circular accelerator of the Yerevan Physics Institute 60.0 2.0 and the Aragats and Norhamberd Cosmic Ray Analysis Stations Contractual (subject) financing of scientific and 2,045.0 69.1 scientific-technical activities under state contract Subsidies to scientific-technical information network 12.5 0.4 NAS-RA Byurakan Observatory 9.0 0.3 NAS-RA Center for Medical Genetics 34.1 1.2 Big Radio Optic Observer of Radio Physics 31.7 1.1 Measurement SRI and 11 national standards within the Program for Maintenance and Development of Scientific and Scientific-Technical Infrastructure
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From page 21... ...
State University had 19 ISTC projects and the Yerevan Physics Institute had 11. As indicated in Appendix F, 11 new ISTC projects valued at nearly $3.1 million were approved for Armenian institutes in 2003.
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From page 22... ...
, which offers grants for research partnerships involving most of the countries of the former Soviet Union, and its Bilateral Grants Program for Armenia only, which is administered in conjunction with the National Foundation of Science and Advanced Technologies (NFSAT)
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From page 23... ...
NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe support scientific research and technology development projects in Armenia, such as the South Caucasus River Monitoring Project, but these investments are not large. Similarly, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
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