On this page, incrEAST provides an overview of the research and technology potential of Kyrgyzstan.
There are two separate and independent structures in Kyrgyzstan: The Ministry of Science, Education (MSE), and the National Academy of Science (NAS KR), which actually acts as a Ministry in itself and coordinates the branched- and university science, as well as academic institutes. Out of this, an Agrarian Science emerged, which is similar as NAS, but exists separately and is directly financed by the Ministry of Finance. It does not, and is not required to report to any other above stated institutions. All of this shows the non-existence of a united, centralized state body, to coordinate all of the country’s scientific spheres, holding one and the same scientific and technical policy for all areas, thus, we see more serious and negative results from this system, rather than positive ones, even on state level.
The scientific potential of republic consists of about 5, 000 research, science and pedagogical and research and technical experts, including more than 600 doctors and 3000 candidates of sciences.
As a result of this weak structure on governmental level, there is a lack of the necessary institution(s) and national structure, in the area of science, which counts as one of the most restraining factors in the developments of science in Kyrgyzstan. As a visual sample, we can use and look at the functioning of the analogical scientific institutions of MSE, NAS KR and the MA, with their similar divisions, labs, and same scientific program.
There, it can be seen that quite the same structure exists, which duplicates each other on each level, thus, brings with it the separation and wasting of some amount of the state budget, earmarked for science.
The given budget for science has started to disappear rapidly among the numbers of smaller scientific institutions’, branches, and academic centers, which appeared after the entrance into market economy.
The bigger and more surprising paradox is, that all these scientific institutions and organizations, no matter the size, nor the years of operation, put together their own programs and projects and, for those, demand money from the country’s budget and, after receiving their requested amount, they then calmly continue their “work”, more slowly than speedy.
Any kind of monitoring and research about the usage of their product by market, society and state, after their initial research, if at all done, and whether it will be in demand or not, is not being conducted, and correct market-research, before and after, doesn’t exist. Trained people, which are able to systematize on the macro-scientific level, are missing, and the most interesting part of this whole situation is, that nobody feels and wants to be responsible for it.
All of the above tells us and shows clearly the urgent necessity of radical reform in the sphere of science in Kyrgyzstan.
Science indicators are developed for the strategic program of development of science and innovations for the period 2009-11 (within the limits of new Strategy of development of the country for the specified term), it was prepared in 2008, and it will be accepted by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Research indicators of the recourses on the priority level of the country:
Water problems and renewable sources of energy
New technologies and materials
Inclusion of the orders into the list of the proposed state scientific and technical programs, which are going to be in use, can be defined by their coincidence to the priorities, having scientific potential, material and technical basis, which is enough to fulfill the order.
The ministries, institutions, departments, and other central- and regional bodies, are the primary customers of the purposed short-, medium-, and long-termed goals of state scientific- and technical programs, which are using currently the science for their own branched problems.
Scientific researches and elaborations, which are being done through the budgetary money and formed through the republican and regional projects, which have been included into the states’ proposed scientific and technical programs.
Financing of science is multi - channeled: the separated line of the republican budget subsidizes scientific institutions of the National academy of sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of rural, water management and a process industry of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. Other ministries and departments are being supported the scientific divisions at the expense with the help of off-budget means.
Unfortunately, only 0.11% of the country’s GDP is given to science, which is 10-12 times smaller than in other CIS countries, and 26-40 times smaller than in higher developed countries!
The current law of financing and of salaries, have brought with it the crisis of the condition in science in this country, and contributed to the “brain drain” of the most capable part of the scientific staff, as well as to the other economic branches, in comparison to other countries.
Today, Kyrgyzstan finances only 3 lines (so called defended items) in the scientific sector of the country, which are: salary, the payment to a social fund, and the payment for municipal services (and this not even fully). As for other items, necessary for normal scientific activities, such as buying new and modern scientific equipment and reactive, experimental researches, transport, expeditions, field works, travel expenditures, scientific contacts, training of scientific personnel, publications of materials, participation in conferences, and many other, are not being properly financed (only 3-5%).
The MSE finances 60 scientific- and research institutes of university- and branched science, encompassing 198 scientific projects in the amount of 35.0 million soms (local currency). In 26 Institutes of the NAS KR, 51 projects for about 80.0 million soms are being financed, and in 3 institutes at the Ministry of Agriculture (MA), 72 projects are being financed for about 12.6 million soms. There are 89 Scientific- and Research institutes and Universities in the KR, which carry 252 of combined scientific projects, with the cost of around 127.6 million soms. According to statistics: for each singular scientific project (no matter as to which entity it belongs to), amounts of 0.18 million-, 1.6, and/or 0.17 million soms are being granted individually. This shows that, in average, the amount spend for each one single project, is close to 8 times larger, than the amount spend and granted, of the branched- and universities scientific projects. As a whole, the academic science receives 63% of the total budget, which includes all of the countries science departments and projects. Of this, 27% were distributed to the university’s science departments, while 10.5% were given for Agrarian researches.
Source: NLKR
Last up-date: 18 October 2010
