President of Armenian academy of sciences urges to increase budget financing of science in 2008
03.11.2007,
00:00
The President of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences Radik Martirosian considers it necessary to increase the budget financing of the sphere of science in Armenia in 2008.
YEREVAN, November 2. /ARKA/. The President of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences Radik Martirosian considers it necessary to increase the budget financing of the sphere of science in Armenia in 2008.
“The budget expenditures on the development of science are to total 6.8bln Drams in 2008, which is only 1bln Drams more than this year and is only 0.7-0.8% of the overall budget against 1% in 2007,” the President of the Academy told journalists.
He reminded that according to the surveys conducted by the European Union on the strategy of scientific development in underdeveloped countries, a state allocating less than 1% of its budget for science cannot count on effective influence of science on the economic development.
If the provided financing is distributed, the share of each employee of Armenia’s scientific sphere will be 1mln Drams (about $3,000), whereas in Germany, for example, it is $120,000-130,000 with salary being 88% of that amount.
“This means that only 12% of the budget appropriations is the actual share directed to the development of science, the remaining amount is directed to the salaries of scientific workers,” Martirosian said. According to the President of the Academy, the science should be financed not only by the government, but also by economic entities. He pointed out that today private investors provide only 10% of the overall financing of science.
Martirosian also pointed out certain difficulties in paying the expenditures on patenting scientific discoveries abroad. “Such a patent costs about $20,000-30,000, maintaining it cost additional $2,000-3,000 every year,” he said.–0--
“The budget expenditures on the development of science are to total 6.8bln Drams in 2008, which is only 1bln Drams more than this year and is only 0.7-0.8% of the overall budget against 1% in 2007,” the President of the Academy told journalists.
He reminded that according to the surveys conducted by the European Union on the strategy of scientific development in underdeveloped countries, a state allocating less than 1% of its budget for science cannot count on effective influence of science on the economic development.
If the provided financing is distributed, the share of each employee of Armenia’s scientific sphere will be 1mln Drams (about $3,000), whereas in Germany, for example, it is $120,000-130,000 with salary being 88% of that amount.
“This means that only 12% of the budget appropriations is the actual share directed to the development of science, the remaining amount is directed to the salaries of scientific workers,” Martirosian said. According to the President of the Academy, the science should be financed not only by the government, but also by economic entities. He pointed out that today private investors provide only 10% of the overall financing of science.
Martirosian also pointed out certain difficulties in paying the expenditures on patenting scientific discoveries abroad. “Such a patent costs about $20,000-30,000, maintaining it cost additional $2,000-3,000 every year,” he said.–0--
