Armenian science not to face funding cutback

YEREVAN, December 23, /ARKA/. Chairman of the Armenian State Committee on Science, Samvel Harutyunian, said today science funding will not be cut next year and will be 8.2 billion Drams, as much as in 2008.

Speaking at a news conference convened to sum up the outgoing year he said this inspires hopes that all projected programs will be fulfilled.

He said the scientific community is grateful to the president and prime minister for keeping funding at the same level as in 2008, despite the ongoing financial-economic crisis.

He said next year scientific research funding procedure will change and researchers will have to take part in competitions to win grants. Researchers from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian Diaspora will be eligible to participate as well.

Samvel Harutyunian said the State Committee on Science plans to continue cooperation with peers abroad and international organizations, to establish research centers in Armenia and attract young scientists.

He said they plan to establish especially close cooperation with colleagues from Russia, Belarus and Germany. Besides, they plan to continue cooperation with International Scientific-Technical Center, French Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, U.S. Civil Research and Development Center and the National Fund for Science and Advanced Technologies.

He said the Armenian research centers are expected to join the Black Sea Interconnection’s GRID system , an international network infrastructure among research and education networks in the South Caucasus region that has 240 members. M.M. -0-