Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 17 / Trend H.Valiyev /
The budget financing of the scientific capacity development can be profitable if its volume is at least 2 to 2.5 percent of the total budget, Deputy Director of the Physical Problems Institute of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Mohammadali Ramazanov said.
According to the accepted global practice, the expenditures can be recouped within a short period of time, Ramazanov said.
"Today, the European Union countries are investing two percent of the total budget in the scientific capacity development, and the head center located in Brussels controls the allocated funds. The money is spent on so-called Framework Programs, and the countries using these funds return them in the form of funding in research projects submitted by scientists from different countries to the head center and that passed the international expertise," he said.
Ramazanov cited the achievements of Greece and the UK, which by investing about two percent of its budget in the developing scientific field could double and fourfold increase their invested funds. "Nevertheless," Ramazanov said, "there are countries that cannot make a profit, because of low levels of scientific capacity."
"The CIS Interstate Fund acts as an analog of the European Research Foundation on post-Soviet space. The CIS Interstate Fund provides for the formation of joint scientific potential. Today, we cooperate with the CIS International Innovation Center based in Dubna on the basis of existing agreements. The center and the leadership of the Baku State University (BSU ) reached an agreement in the middle of 2011," Ramazanov said.
The funds accumulated are spent on funding research, raising the level of young scientists, etc.
Today, two graduate students of BSU are trained in Dubna, where leading scholars from all CIS countries work on practical projects in the field of nanotechnology through the Fund. Centre, which has all chances to become the leader in Europe, is created at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Kurchatov Institute.
A data bank, whose resources will be available for all countries included in the center, is established in Dubna. As a party to the center, Azerbaijan will be informed about events occurring in the field of nanotechnology in the CIS and in the world.