HIGH-TECH FOUNDATION OF DEVELOPMENT
By Artak BABAYAN

Yerkir.am
September 01, 2006

The experience of the developed countries shows that high intellectual
potential, research capacities and human resources are necessary but
not adequate preconditions for a country to become a leader in high
technologies. Serious financial investments and developed institutional
capacities are necessary for this. In the case of Armenia, not only
the government but also the Diaspora can play a serious role in this
respect. There is relevant experience in this field. We should build
on this experience and expand it. The Candle Project can become such
an initiative.

The Candle Project as a test for development

What can Armenia offer to counter the large-scale regional projects
such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan oil pipeline? A group of physicists
from Armenia and the Diaspora as well as some Diaspora businessmen
believe the Candle Project for creation of an ultra-modern
synchronatron complex can become such an initiative.

This project is one of the best alternatives for revitalizing the
country’s deteriorated scientific potential and stagnated industry,
people dealing with this sphere assure. Technical manager of the
Candle Project, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Vassili Tsakanov
is sure the Candle Project can make Armenia a country capable of
producing high technologies on the international arena.

The Candle Project is a project for creation of ultra-modern
third generation source of light. The total cost of the Project is
approximately 78 million dollars. If the Project is implemented in
Armenia it will be unique for the former Soviet space, Eastern Europe
and Middle East.

Calculations show that about 3000 scientists from Armenia and abroad
can conduct high level and efficient research at the center. As the
experience of some countries shows, international companies working
in the sphere of high technologies can make large investments into
the Project.

The famous Diaspora Armenian businessman Jirayr Hovnanian is the
chairman of the Candle Project. The Project was significantly supported
by the US State Department. The Project received a 500 thousand dollar
grant from the State Department in 2002. With the grant the Project was
developed and the special committee established under the US National
Scientific Foundation approved the project with very positive feedback.

However, little progress seems to have been made since then. The
main reason for this is lack of understanding of the Project’s
importance both among the Armenian authorities and among the
business circles. In other words, the Armenian authorities do not
seem to be very enthusiastic about the implementation of the Candle
Project. "Otherwise, they would have declared the Project as a national
priority," Tsakanov concludes.

Meanwhile, the US State Departments has officially informed the
Armenian authorities that it is ready to continue financing the Project
if it is officially declared as a national priority. Has there been
a decision on this issue?

There has been no decision.

Only 4 million dollars is necessary for the first phase of the
Project, the preliminary construction works. The management of the
Candle Project submitted a project proposal for this amount to the
US-funded Millennium Challenges Corporation. However, the proposal
was rejected. Had the Project been declared a national priority like,
for instance, the information technologies, other spheres related to
high technologies would have also developed.

Another obstacle on the way of implementation of the Candle Project,
according to the Project’s technical manager, is connected with the
clash of interests in the region. Because of the lobbying efforts of
Israel and Turkey the Project’s progress in the US State Department
was suspended for a long time. It was due to the active efforts of
the Armenian Diaspora that the Project was successfully pushed through.