YEREVAN. – The science budget of Armenia will increase by 0.78 percent in 2017, as compared to the current year. 

Vardan Sahakyan, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of Science, on Wednesday told the aforesaid to reporters.

Sahakyan recalled that, over the course of the past five years, the state funding of science in Armenia has amounted to 0.25-0.28 percent of the GDP, whereas 0.3-0.35 percent—when also calculating extrabudgetary funds, such as grants, etc.

To note, according to the science development strategy of Armenia, the funding of science in the country shall amount to 1-2 percent of the GDP, in 2020.

“If the funding of science is maintained in the amount of [money] today, this point of the strategy is virtually unrealistic today,” added Vardan Sahakyan. “But we are pinning great hopes on the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [of the European Commission], whereby Armenian science teams can get good funding.”