“Good ideas should be shared with good friends, otherwise they will never get that wonderful title.” Hripsime Mkrtchyan

Strengthening science can be a lifeline for Armenia, which has weakened due to the coronavirus pandemic and is in an extremely difficult situation due to the defeat in the Artsakh war. With this conviction, more than 700 Armenian companies have united around the “Science” initiative, presenting proposals to correct the situation in the field of science and submitting demands to the government. WomenNet.am spoke with active participants of the initiative: Hasmik Martirosyan, Sveta Jaghatspanyan, Nare Gorgyan and Liana Avetyan.

Hasmik Martirosyan, Operations Director of Synergy International Systems, which joined the initiative, regrets that young Armenian specialists, who are quite competitive in the international market, have left their homeland and continue their activities in other countries.

When she was a student, Hasmik Martirosyan and thirty other students were awarded the RA President’s Award in the field of information technologies. Years ago, when she decided to organize a meeting with the participation of the winners of that year, she found out that none of the thirty talented young people was in Armenia.

Hasmik Martirosyan emphasizes that when the country’s natural resources are scarce and the geographical location is not favorable, it remains to fill all the gaps by using the intellectual resources.

Sveta Jaghatspanyan, the founder and head of the Vanadzor branch of Hi-Tech Gateway, who also conducts research, believes that the continued increase in science allocations will help prevent brain drain and return of  scientists who have already left the country.

The microelectronics department of the company she heads has created a product called “Forest Guardian”. It was at the stage of scientific research for a year and a half.

Although some legislative regulations have caused difficulties in exporting the products, the “forest ranger” is now in Malaysia being tested.

Author of a smart insole for shoes that control physical activity and body weight Embry has joined the initiative. Two of the four founders of the company are women, the engineering and information science work is entrusted to women.

In a conversation with WomenNet.am, Nare Gorgyan, co-founder of Embry, General Director of Design, co-founder of Tech Note, says in a conversation with WomenNet.am that several hundred companies were united in the realization that science is dying in Armenia.

The companies united around the “Power of Science” initiative. Note that there are programs aimed at the development of science, there are compassionate and competitive specialists, they are waiting only for the decision of the National Assembly. So far, they have not been satisfied with the results of the meetings with  representatives of the executive and legislative bodies.

The member companies of the initiative, in their turn, are ready to support this important cause with their resources and opportunities. As a result, they expect that the problem will have a conceptual solution, young specialists will receive positive messages to do science in Armenia, science will develop, developing almost all spheres in a chain, from education to economy.

The tourism business in the world has been dealt the biggest economic blow. Especially in Armenia, where the war further exacerbated the situation with the pandemic. 

Full text in Armenian