PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: FINANCING OF ARMENIAN
SCIENCE CONSIDERABLY DECLINED IN PAST TWO DECADES
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The system, which existed before the
2006 elections of the Presidency of the RA National Academy of
Sciences (NAS), did not serve its major goal – to solve
scientific-organizational problems.
President of the RA NAS Radik Martirosian stated this at the April 6
annual meeting of the academy. According to him, the large number of
the presidency members was not conducive to solution of problems,
while its numerous units did not help create a healthy scientific
atmosphere and discuss scientific issues. Last year the NAS staff was
reduced by nearly 20%. R. Martirosian said that in the year under
review, elections of corresponding members of the RA NAS were held, as
a result of which the academy staff increased by 36 new corresponding
members. In his words, all of them are worthy and well-known
scientists. The NAS president also addressed the current problems of
the academy. He said that "in the past two decades, financing of
science had considerably declined, due to which the research basis has
become poor, the number of studies has decreased, this being
accompanied by an outflow of experts." "Estonia, whose population is
half our population, allocates 10 million euros for science, Armenia
allocates 12 million, 6 million dollars of which is financing of the
academy. Our neighbors spend for this purpose: Georgia – 4 times as
much, Azerbaijan – 8 times as much," R. Martirosian noted. In his
opinion, in order to stimulate interest of young people in science, it
is necessary to create attractive conditions in this sphere, while the
state should develop a complex program on alternation of scientific
staff generations.