FAR program awards grants to Armenia scientists

Published: Wednesday January 04, 2012

Dr. Armen Sargsyan was awarded an ANSEF grant in 2011.

Yerevan - For the last 12 years, the Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF), which is sponsored by the Fund for Armenian Relief, has supported world class scientific research and education in Armenia by awarding grants to top research groups.

ANSEF's review board recently completed its marathon review of more than 200 proposals for the 2012 ANSEF awards. The list of the 25 awardees includes 12 groups in the physical sciences, nine in the natural sciences, three in engineering, and one in the humanities.

As Chairman of ANSEF Professor Yervant Terzian said, "The results of the vigorous 2012 competition showed that 51 proposals received very high evaluations from our reviewers - leading scientists in their respective fields - the highest percentage in 12 years. We are painfully aware that some excellent proposals are not in the final list. Unfortunately, ANSEF can provide funding for only 25 awards."

In 2012, the ANSEF Board of Trustees will conduct its very first ANSEF symposium in Armenia to celebrate ANSEF's successes, and to unite the many scientists and scholars who have produced so much. The date of symposium will soon be announced.

ANSEF was established in 2000. It was modeled on western funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, and adapted to meet Armenia's special needs. For the past 12 years, ANSEF has provided more than $1.4 million dollars to fund research by over 700 scientists in Armenia. This has resulted in hundreds of publications from Armenia about the cutting edge physical sciences, engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, and has ultimately slowed Armenia's "brain drain." For many of Armenia's brilliant minds, the ANSEF award has become a springboard from which they can achieve international recognition.

Fund for Armenian Relief is graciously extending its appreciation to the ANSEF board, the research council and our reviewers from around the world. We would like to express our special thanks for the generous support of ANSEF benefactors: Avanessians Family Foundation, Dadourian Family Foundation, Turpanjian Family Foundation and Dr. Sarkis Kechejian. It is because of them and many other visionary donors that ANSEF has been able to continue its tireless efforts to sustain world class scientific research and educational tradition in Armenia.

Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR (http://farusa.org) has served hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $285 million in humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic development.