On October 18, a ceremony summing up the results of the Innovation Contest organized by UCLA’s ARPA Institute (Director Hakob Panosyan) was held at Palyan Hall of Yerevan State University.

This year, there were eight applicants from Yerevan State University, the State Engineering University of Armenia, the State Agrarian University of Armenia and the European Regional Educational Academy.

In his speech, the director of ARPA Institute, who is also the organizer of and correspondent of the awards, regretted to mention that compared to previous years, the number of applicants had declined and indicated the main requirements that lie at the core of the evaluation of documents submitted by the contest committee. They are the following:

Main criterion in student work or research-turning a new idea into a specific project,

Creator’s modeling of the project,

Comparison with similar inventions,

Confirmation of “innovation” of the work presented

Among the attendees were RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan, YSU students and Pro-Rector for Alumni and Public Relations Ruben Markosyan.

Appreciating the importance of this pro-national event organized by ARPA Institute and aimed at encouraging youth to do research, congratulating the organizers, participants and guests, the RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora voiced hope that “today’s young researchers and inventors will go on to play a huge role in the development of science and economy in Armenia, provide for the relationship between science and industry and have something new to say in world science”.

Srapionyan considered the Innovation Contest a manifestation of the Armenia-Diaspora relations and attached importance to the development of the contest with the Ministry of Diaspora.

In his speech, YSU Pro-Rector Ruben Markosyan underlined that in innovations, “teaching knowledgeable youth how to be innovative and invent, introduce them to methods, technologies, the achievements in world science and inventive thought and the implementation of an instructive program for knowledge and skills are much more important for youth to achieve results”. Mr. Markosyan suggested that the administration of ARPA Institute collaborate in this field.

The results of the contest were announced, and all the participants received their diplomas. The contest committee had decided not to grant the 1^st place to anyone. The students in 2^nd and 4^th places and their supervisors received financial awards in the amount of 400-1,000 dollars.

S. Hambaryan