Discovering the Future
2021-2022
SciNova
An academic course aimed at providing basic knowledge and practical skills to Armenian Masters and Ph.D. students on Research Design and Science Commercialization.
PARTNERS
General Information
About the program

In November 2020, FAST designed the SciNova Program to create courses on "Research Design” and “Science Commercialization'' that introduce Masters and PhD students in Armenia to the basics of conducting quality research and making scientific inventions commercially viable.


From FAST’s previous and ongoing programs, including FellowshipADVANCE STEM Research grant program, and entrepreneurial initiatives, some valuable lessons have been learned that highlighted the number of significant challenges for ecosystem players that could be overcome through the courses for skilling the youth to implement scientific research and turn the research output into a new product.


From the perspective of the advancement of the science ecosystem, the development of these courses became crucial:

  • to ensure that students in Armenia are equipped with basic knowledge of how research is conducted,

  • to nurture competencies among the students to translate research outcomes into innovation outputs,

  • to recast the image of science among Armenian youth from something abstract and academic to something of practical relevance and tangible benefits.


This program has been designed within the Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Programme framework funded by the British Council.

15
Academic institutions benefited and trained
800+
Master and PhD students benefited and trained
100
Academic staff trained
Coaches
Anastasiya Tyurina
Founder and CEO, Digital Spring Agency
Anahit Hovhannisyan
Researcher, RA NAS Institute of Molecular Biology (former NextGen Council Member)
Astghik Hakobyan
Researcher, RA NAS Institute of Molecular Biology
Smbat Gevorgyan
Senior Researcher, FAST
Sarkis Knyazyan
Managing Partner of Knyazyan & Partners
Shoghig Keoshkerian
Trainer of Trainers, Designer of Professional Educational Modules
Vardan Gevorgyan
Head of Innovation Division at National Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, RA Ministry of Economy
David Hayrapetyan (Guest Lecture)
Head of the Department of General Physics, Quantum Nanostructures, Institute of Engineering Physics, RAU
Geoff Parkes (Guest Lecturer)
Senior Teaching Fellow and Associate Dean of the School of Business, Aston University
Hovakim Zakaryan (Guest Lecturer)
Co-Founder, Denovo Sciences
Larisa Avetisyan (Guest Lecturer)
Grants Coordinator, FAST
Phase 1