BUDGET FINANCING FOR SCIENCE MAKES 0.29% OF GDP IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Nov 5, 2007
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. "It is no good times for science. Our
science together with culture has been the visiting card of the
Armenian people for centuries long. The public-political changes of
the recent years have had their influence on these spheres as well,
and today we have what we have," Radik Martirosian, the Chairman of
the RA National Academy of Sciences, declared during his meeting with
journalists held on November 2.
In the words of Radik Martirosian, the created situation has both
objective and subjective reasons, which have brought forth a situation
when a scientist has no expectations, he/she is no longer involved
in science, or leaves the country in despair.
According to the Chairman of the Academy, in 1990 the Academy had 7.5
thousand workers. This number has decreased by half today. The budget
allocated for science in 2008 is 1 billion drams more in comparison
with that of 2007. In general, 6.8 billion drams is envisaged to be
allocated for science next year, which is less than the 1 percent
of the expense part of the budget. 88% of the allocated sum makes
the salaries, the 12% left is used for other expenses, including
payments for the development of the science, maintenance of buildings,
and electricity.
Radik Martirosian mentioned that according to European theoreticians,
in a country, where the budget financing for the science makes less
than the one percent of the GDP, science can have no influence on
economy. In Armenia it makes 0.29 percent of the GDP.
The Chairman of the Academy mentioned that if a calculation is made
with the 2008 budget allocations, each scientist will recieve a salary
of one million drams (approximately 3000 U.S. dollars) every year,
whereas in developed countries this sum reaches 120-140 thousand
dollars every year.
Radik Martirosian also stated that, nevertheless, most of the
institutes of the Academy recieve foreign grants and thus organize
their scientific activities. Most of them cooperate with foreign
international scientific centers. Most of the scientists, at present,
have problem in investing scientific innovations in the local
industry. "A local industrialist or a businessman does not yet see
the cooperation between him/her and a scientist, especially, when the
results of the investments made in the science become visible later,"
he stressed.
Radik Martirosian declared that the scientific developments of Armenian
scientists are invested by 10%, in general, in the Armenian economy.