ArmInfo. Armenian scientists are being afforded an opportunity to collaborate with the European scientific community. The EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhance Partnership Agreement (CEPA), allows Armenian scientists to make use of the largest EU grant for research programmes to the total amount of EUR 95.5bln.
As the press service of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport reports, the Horizon Europe programme will be in effect until 2027.
Deputy Minister Artur Maritosyan said that the agreement is a good opportunity for Armenia to join the European scientific community in terms of using European research infrastructures and implementing joint grant programmes.
"Associate membership will enable Armenia`s research centers to participate in all the projects," he said.
To promote scientists` participation in the programme, the RA Science Committee has re-opened the Center for Promotion of Integration of Research Pogrammes, which will coordinate the work of executives in charge of sectors.
On November 12, 2021, Armenia signed an agreement on its participation in the Horizon Europe programme. In 2014-2020, the Horizon-2020 programme was implemented in the country, with 14 of 93 applications sponsored. The grants issued to Armenia amounted to EUR 1.3mln.
The EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhance Partnership Agreement (CEPA) became fully effective on March 1, 2021. CEPA was signed in November 2017, and has been tentatively applied since June 1, 2018.
Recently, U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) representatives visited the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia to get acquainted with innovative ideas and programmes and consider sponsorship prospects. A total of AMD 25.1bln (about $50mln) has been budgeted for research and development next year (an 83% increase). Allocations for individual field of research will total AMD 6.7bln (2.5-fold increase).