FAST | RESEARCH

Ecosystem platforms

In order to support the production of globally competitive research output from Armenia, FAST has launched a range of programs to support the local research community and bridge it with the world-leading research community.


IMPACTS ON RESEARCH OUTPUTS

FAST has provided funding to 49 researchers, supported 23 international research collaborations and hosted nearly 100 foreign researchers in Armenia through a variety of initiatives.

In addition, it has supported 25 visits to international labs resulting in the production of 70 scientific papers, of which 50 have already been published in international journals.

23

international research collaborations

49

researchers provided funding

100

foreign researchers

25

visits to international labs

70

scientific papers

50

published in international journals

FELLOWSHIP

A fundamental challenge for Armenian science is its aging research community and the need to develop a new generation of STEM researchers.

To enable promising PhD students to concentrate fully on their studies, FAST designed a fellowship program for Armenian citizens and candidates of Armenian descent wishing to conduct doctoral studies in STEM-related fields at leading Armenian universities.


“FAST Fellowship was a “rescuer” for me when I faced serious challenges around continuing my research due to scarcity of financial resources. Thanks to the program, I was able to fully concentrate on my research. Moreover, I gained self-confidence and belief in what I am doing. I am so thankful to the FAST Fellowship team and those people who spared no effort to give birth to this beautiful program.”

Lilit Khachatryan

Program Fellow PhD Student, Institute of Botany after A. L. Takhtajyan of the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia

TRAVEL GRANT FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

FAST created a travel grant scheme to foster collaborations between Armenian and international STEM researchers.

The program was designed to allocate grants for Armeniabased researchers to visit their counterparts, as well as for international researchers to visit Armenia. Grantees worked on joint scientific projects for a period of up to 3 months and produce joint publications in high-impact journals. These efforts aimed at increasing Armenian research output.


“The travel grant enhanced the progress of my work and helped me have great success in the prestigious Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie Individual Fellowship. Not only did I get a chance to learn from the specialists of my host institute — Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino (ICVV) — in Spain, but now we plan to continue our collaboration together with Yerevan State University on a comparative study of Armenian and European grapevine genetic resources at the molecular, genomic and cellular levels.”

Anna Nebish

Program Grantee Lecturer and Researcher, Yerevan State University, Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia

 

 

 

ADVANCE STEM RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAMS

FAST designed an unprecedented grant scheme for the Armenian scientific community.

That scheme aimed to bring top expertise in targeted scientific fields to Armenia by connecting international Principal Investigators (PI) with local scientists. New research teams of up to 5 scientists are formed under the direct supervision of international PIs through the selection of the most qualified researchers, regardless of affiliation. The research groups receive comprehensive long-term institutional and financial support. The funding includes salaries for local researchers, lab supporting materials, travel and capacity building opportunities, as well as publication costs.

BIOTECH TEAM

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

PROF. GARABED ANTRANIKIAN

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

ANNA POLADYAN

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

SARGIS AGHAYAN

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

ANI PALOYAN

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

KAREN TRCHOUNIAN

JUNIOR RESEARCHERS

DIANA GHEVONDYAN

JUNIOR RESEARCHERS

ELLA MINASYAN

MACHINE LEARNING TEAM

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

PROF. ARNAK DALALYAN

 

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

 TIGRAN GALSYAN

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

ARSHAK MINASYAN

LIFE SCIENCE INCUBATOR

The Life Science Incubator (LSI) is a program ultimately designed to leverage and catalyse Armenia’s life science/biotech potential.

It entails the development of a wet laboratory for the analysis and testing of different scientific hypotheses (proof of concept) that may be generated from pre-seed and early-stage startups. The incubator will provide startups with access to laboratory instruments and expertise, which are typically barriers to entry for startups with limited funding. The LSI will also house mentors, advisors and consultants to facilitate direct access to expert guidance focused on a startup’s area of need. Additionally, the LSI will provide practical laboratory training for university students, exposing them to the biotech industry outside academia.

Currently, the incubator is being set up and starting its operation.

ARMENIA’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE ROADMAP

The program aims to develop a comprehensive roadmap for a transformational path from Armenia’s current energy infrastructure towards energy independence through carbon neutrality in the energy and transportation fields.

The roadmap will be used for making policy recommendations to the government and investment attraction activities.

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