Consolidating All Universities in One Place is Unacceptable: Armenian National Academy of Sciences Issues Statement

In an expanded general meeting held today, April 3, the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia adopted a resolution expressing concerns and recommendations regarding the integration of science and education within the framework of the "Academic City" program. The general assembly of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia stated that:

• Given the current local and geopolitical conditions, a drastic and radical change to the traditional model of science and higher education is not conducive to either field.
• It is unacceptable to concentrate all universities and scientific organizations in one location for strategic and security reasons.
• It is essential to ensure a diversity of organizational forms for scientific activity; institutions should have modern research components, but there should also be independent organizations primarily engaged in scientific and technological activities or their systems.
• The consolidation and modernization of state universities should not disrupt the stable development of science and technological progress in Armenia.

According to the resolution, the National Academy of Sciences considers the following option for the efficient, less risky, and realistic integration of science and education:

1. Universities and scientific organizations, and/or their structural units, that predominantly align with the functions of specific clusters, will integrate into the academic city clusters (by mutual consent).
2. To eliminate risk factors, the formation of clusters will be carried out in phases (implementation of pilot projects).
3. In parallel with the formation of academic city clusters, centers/networks of excellence, institutes, and international organizations based on scientifically competent organizations in the Academy of Sciences system will be established (one center for global research directions), which can collaborate with all universities in the republic.
4. Specialized scientific/scientific-technological organizations operating outside the aforementioned two structures will be formed to address the scientific, technological, and/or defense issues of the republic.

The integration option described above will ensure both diversity in forms of organization in scientific and educational fields and competitive conditions necessary for the development of scientific and technological progress.