Moldova is behind region as for scientific productivity: study

The Moldovan research sector is centralized, says the master in physics Valeriu Ciorba, a lecturer at the Moldova State University, the chairman of the Young Researchers Association from Moldova “Pro Stiinta” and the author of the study “The RDI (research, develop, innovation) Sector” which was launched on Tuesday, June 24, Info-Prim Neo reports. The author points out the Moldovan Science Academy (ASM) and the entities subordinated to it have an important role to play in this sector. The universities has a more moderate role, while the private entities are outside it. In 2004, the RDI sector started to restructure. The changes operated by the ASM are not essential however, Valeriu Ciorba says. The allocated money has been used mainly to finance institutions. Although more youths are noticed to join science, the researchers' average age is 50. The issue of young specialists remains timely. Moldova occupies the 119th place in a top of global rating of brain drain. The study finds the research infrastructure in Moldova is weakly developed and cannot fully capitalize the budget allocations granted to the sector, although they grow. Also growing is the number of Moldovan science publications, including the ones with foreign authors. Since 2002 , their number has tripled. Yet the number of quoted publication is rapidly decreasing – 63.01% quoted documents in 2003 and 10.84% in 2006. Moldova is behind the countries from the region as to the scientific productivity. The author of the study considers it necessary to divide the National RDI sector into two components: the research to create knowledge, on the one hand, and technology transfer and innovation, on the other. The division should occur at all levels: management, funds, policy developments. Veaceslav Afanasiev, the director of the Innovation and Technology Transfer of the ASM has said the Moldovan model of organizing the RDI sector is more acceptable for a middle-term country. Grigore Belostecnic, the rector of the Economy Academy (ASEM) has appreciated the research through the fact that it tackles the RDI problems through the optics of enhancing the competitiveness of Moldova's economy. The research has been carried out with the support of the Budapest-based Open Society Institute as part of the project “ Promoting a transparent and efficient policy in Moldova”.