The budget kept funding NASU programs for young scientists

About this in a comment to Ukrinform said the vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. Bogolyubova NAS Academician Anatoly Zagorodni.

“In the previous version of the budget, which was considered at the previous meeting of the Verkhovna Rada and was not approved, it was planned to remove UAH 300 million from the National Academy of Sciences. This is the budget program “Support for the development of priority areas of research”, which finances priority research, support of young scientists, purchase of equipment, etc. It would be a disaster for us in the full sense. This program finances the creation of youth research laboratories and groups, this is youth support, it is extremely important. In 2019, we had 10 youth research laboratories and 20 youth research groups”, – he said.

As explained by the academician, Youth Research Laboratories is a group of young scientists from 3 to 5 people who presents a project for the competition, and this project should relate to the priority of the latest research in line with global trends. A group of young people in the competition can receive from UAH 600 thousand to UAH 1 million. The laboratory can receive up to UAH 1 million per year for 4-5 people.

“Compared to what it was before, this is very important, because, firstly, it allows scientists to have a decent salary, sometimes even more than that of senior colleagues. What is important, one of the conditions of the competition was that these studies are based, inter alia, on international cooperation. In 2020, the number of such youth scientific groups was increased to 36: 9 laboratories and 27 groups, which cover 133 young scientists from 40 institutions of the NAS of Ukraine. In quarantine, this program gave scientists the opportunity to participate in international events. We funded such a program in 2018-2019, and young scientists took it very positively. And if these 300 million were taken from us, then we would have to close all of these youth laboratories that have already begun to work”, Zagorodni emphasized.

Now, according to him, from the priority research support program, UAH 22 million is annually spent on supporting teams of young scientists. By 2021 it is planned to increase this funding to UAH 24 million.

Zagorodny noted that they are grateful to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for the officials of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education for Science and Innovation, the Budget Committee, who listened to the scientific community and saved funding for priority research in the budget.

Also, according to him, due to the fact that every year the state reduces the basic funding of the National Academy of Sciences, NASU institutions are forced to work for 80% of the employment. The budget program “Support for the development of priority areas of scientific research” allows research teams to receive additional funding through competition.

“For example, in our Bogolyubov Institute of Theoretical Physics, we have several projects, and more than half of our employees now have 100% employment, as well as the possibility of some encouragement”, – Zagorodni said.

Now, according to the vice president of NASU, through the announcement of restrictive measures, most of the academy’s institutions that can work remotely have switched to this format of work.

Also, he noted, NASU employees who are at risk in age can take unused paid leave.

As Ukrinform reported, the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the budget for 2020 on April 13.