US Office of Naval Research Global looks for “impossible” ideas

The delegation of the US Office of Naval Research Global is in Armenia on a one-week visit initiated by FAST.

Patrick Rose, Program Manager at US Office of Naval Research Global, introduced today in Yerevan the research funding opportunities that Armenian researchers can receive for cutting-edge research.

"We are looking for ideas that no one may believe in, that at first glance seem impossible and too unrealistic," said he.

"We invite the strangest ideas and technically sound scientific research ideas that Armenian scientists will offer. We will work directly with scientists to better understand what resources are needed to bring those ideas to life," said Rose.

The US Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) and the Army International Technology Center (ITC) are the international grant funding programs for the US Navy and US Army within the framework of which over 200 liaison visits across more than 47 countries in any given year are conducted.

The aim of the visits is to seek out promising, emerging scientific research and advanced technologies and invest in high-payoff technologies. With this, it targets to foster collaborations and support cutting-edge research through various funding mechanisms.

The RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Karen Trchunyan mentioned that the implementation of these programs of the US Global Naval Research Office will give an opportunity to carry out fundamental research, to generate ideas that will have a research result, and will be turned into certain specific products.

Chairman of the board of advisors of FAST, Microbiologist, President of the Hamburg University of Technology, Professor Karapet Andranikyan, whose research team had the opportunity to benefit from the ONRG’s grant program, said: "The task of our research team was to find effective recycling resources. In particular, we conducted research in the field of wine production to find out how it is possible to completely recycle the waste generated in the future. The research work itself is complicated and time-consuming, it is impossible to get quality work without financial and material/technical resources. Therefore, such programs are very powerful and good opportunities to bring research and ideas to life."

On November 10 at 3.30 p.m. and on November 11 at 3 p.m. open meetings will be held at FAST with young scientists and si-tech companies.