Davit Ananyan, the former chairman of the RA SRC, writes: "PILLAR 8. The real resource of Armenia is not in the soil, it is in our thoughts.
A country with a small economy cannot compete either in terms of market volume or natural resources. Armenia's real competitive advantage is its human capital: education, engineering skills, scientific thought and creativity.
Therefore, science and innovation are not a luxury for us. They are the basis of national security and economic sovereignty.
Focusing on comparative advantages Armenia should develop the scientific directions where it can be competitive: materials science and precision engineering, microelectronics and embedded systems, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, agroscience and energy innovations, military-industrial technologies and space research.
Science should be connected to production and industrial zones, rather than remaining an end in itself. Technological transfer, not storage of ideas. Our country needs a system of applied research, incubators and accelerators, experimental platforms for small series production, metrology and certification centers.
This allows rapid translation of scientific developments into technology and products. Science and defense, one strategy Military-industrial technologies create domestic demand for science, strengthen the engineering base, and open new export destinations. Funding must be incomparably large, competitive and productive, assessing applied value, not just publications.
Human capital: continuous development The transformation of the economy is not possible without deepening STEM education, expanding engineering training, training teachers and professors, as well as new skills, including data science, AI, cyber security, robotics. Education must become a continuous process, not just a phase of life. The scientific potential of the diaspora: a systemic resource. with random, other planned and joint projects, co-financing, as well as result-oriented cooperation.
At the same time, the state is obliged to prevent the outflow of specialists by offering the first scientific jobs and a technological career path in Armenia. The eighth PILLAR of "Wings of Unity" is this. The future of Armenia is not built on raw materials, but on knowledge, engineering and innovation. "Competition begins with the mind."
