Executive Board of Armenia’s Technology Future Initiative Holds Meeting

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YEREVAN, Armenia — The Executive Board of the university network Armenia’s Technology Future (ATF) initiative met on May 13 and 23 in the office of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE). The agenda comprising the procedural arrangements of the initiative, as well as the main principles of directions for collaboration, were approved at the meeting.

The Executive Board is composed of representatives from key universities in Armenia and the ATF secretariat. Yerevan State University was represented by Rector Dr. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan; the National Agrarian University by Rector Dr. Vardan Urutyan; the American University of Armenia (AUA) by President Dr. Karin Markides; and the French University in Armenia by Rector Dr. Bertrand Venard. Rector Armen Darbinyan, the representative from the Russian-Armenian University, could not attend the meeting and was represented by his First Vice Rector Gevorg Sargsyan. The ATF secretariat was represented by ATF Secretary General Hayk Chobanyan. Representatives from various Deputy Ministers’ offices were also present as observers at the meeting on May 13.

The members of the Executive Board expressed their great hope that participants in the platform will closely and productively collaborate in pursuit of the target directions: artificial intelligence, leadership and governance, capacity building of local clusters, enhanced STEM education, and innovation.

The meeting also involved the election of a one-year rotating troika of university presidents (past, present, and future) to support the coordination of university incentives. The Executive Board elected Dr. Markides as ATF President for the current one-year term and Dr. Urutyan for the succeeding term. 

The purpose of the ATF initiative is to implement and scale educational and outreach projects to promote technological development in Armenia and foster dialogue among educational institutions, technology industries, and the government. ATF serves as a collaborative platform for participating institutions to engage in open collaboration based on trust and capacity building for the fulfillment of its major goals for Armenia. The platform is open to the engagement of universities and research organizations. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.