By 2030, the science budget will reach 243 million GEL
The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli spoke about the planned steps towards the development of science at the presentation of the ten-year development plan. The Minister said that it is the duty of the state to strengthen support for the development of science in Georgia, to create an effective, flexible and quality-oriented system, which will be a prerequisite for the economic development of our country.
According to Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the priorities of science will be determined in the format of the Research and Innovation Council under the Prime Minister.
In his speech, the Minister also stressed the importance of promoting result-oriented research in terms of science development.
"Our goal is to promote the production of the best quality-oriented research, for which the volume of grant funding of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia has increased and will continue toncrease in the future, long-term targeted scientific research programs will be expanded.
Ultimately, the composition of the scientific research process should be reflected in the well-being of people in everyday life. This is possible by promoting the best quality results-oriented research" - said the Minister.
According to Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the European model of science management and administration will be introduced: The Georgian National Academy of Sciences will be actively involved in the implementation of this model together with the Ministry. Remuneration of researchers will be gradually increased.
Furthermore, in his speech, the Minister mentioned that the Ministry will support the development of an open science policy, which will increase the success rate of the country's international scientific grant competitions. A national scientific electronic platform will be developed, which will be integrated with various European networks.
In addition, active preparations are underway to improve the success rate of Georgian scientists in the new EU Framework Program Horizon Europe grant competitions. The creation of a network of university scientific grant offices has started, which will gradually cover all universities. These grant offices will assist Georgian scientists in designing and implementing research projects in collaboration with leading EU research institutes.
According to the Ministry, a number of scientific infrastructure projects will be implemented. New scientific laboratories of international standards will be established. Annual incremental funding for infrastructure projects will reach Rs 30 crore by 2030, while the total budget allocated to science will be Rs 243 crore.
