Table 5 Examples on ISLs for commercialization

Some of the Armenian universities maintain close cooperation with private businesses.

Yerevan State University has notable collaborations with Synopsis, which has a branch in the Faculty of Radio physics, providing education programmes at all levels, including for doctoral students, and professors are coming from Synopsis too. Mikaprogresstech, a branch of the Russian Sukhoi airplane company, also works directly with students of the university, whilst the Central Bank works with staff and students of the Faculty of Commerce.

Yerevan State Medical University works closely with the Ministry of Defence in relation to military medicine, although commercialization potential from this remains unclear. Other ISLs include a Garni located dental research small firm, and contracts with clinics such as military hospitals and universities. The university has its own pharmaceutical company, with which faculties collaborate. The Department of Pharmacy management has conducted a ‘Study of pharmaceutical markets’ with the International Society for Pharmaco-economics and Outcomes Research (USA), whilst Department of Pharmacy and Arpimed pharmaceutical company are collaborating in identifying compounds occurring naturally in Armenian plants and herbs (e.g. oregano, lavender, smoked tree, Arabia gum).

The State Engineering University of Armenia hosts research centres for IBM, Nokia and Oracle. National Instruments collaborates in research supervision and providing supporting software. The company’s Armenian office has a mission to support linkages between National Instruments and Armenian scientific organisations and small firms.