Last week, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a number of decrees aimed at the development of science management system in Uzbekistan, as well as the perfection of the structure and activities of the Academy of Sciences. Read more in the review of our correspondent.
It was kick started as the improvement in the performance of the Academy of Sciences, followed by the establishment of a state commission and agency for science and technology as well as a foundation to support and advance scientific and technological activities.
Agency in the Lead
In accordance with the Decree, the State Commission for Science and Technology headed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been set up, tasked with elaborating and introducing for consideration an integrated government policy in the field of scientific and technical activity, in the identification of priority directions for innovation programs.
As the working body of the Commission, the Agency for Science and Technology of the Republic of Uzbekistan is being established on the basis of the terminated Coordinating Committee for Science and Technology Development under the Cabinet of Ministers. The agency is entrusted with forming a government mission for the provision of scientific and technical services in terms of the implementation of fundamental, applied and innovative research for sectors of the economy and social sphere.
These measures will contribute to elevate the organization system of scientific research activities to a new level which will consolidate the existing intellectual potential, eliminate narrow subjects and inefficient themes of research, as well as avoid duplication.
Another important issue to be resolved by this decree is the creation of Fund for support and development of scientific and technological activities in the form of a legal entity under the State Committee for Science and Technology.
Academy of Sciences Gains Momentum
The Decree on measures to further improve the activity of the Academy of Sciences, the organization, management and financing of research activities, signed by the President of the country, defines the main goals and priorities of its activity on the basis of modern requirements. In addition, to further bolster up the research infrastructure as part of the Academy of Sciences it is created a number of research institutions, as well as individual institutions will be back in its management. These measures will allow carrying out wide-range studies, concentrating the available scientific potential in various fields of science and forwarding it to the solution of actual problems of the socio-economic sphere.
The document focuses on the further betterment of the organizational structure of the Academy of Sciences via forming of branches of physical and mathematical and technical, chemical and biological, social and human sciences in it, as well as the creation of a new department of Navoi. This will allow for providing the systemic coordination of scientific researches in these areas, and will contribute to the efficient use of capacities of academic science in the comprehensive advancement of the Navoi region’s industry.
In addition, equating the chairmen’s status of Karakalpakstan and Navoi departments of the Academy of Sciences, as well as the Khorezm Academy of Mamun with the status of vice-president of the Academy of Sciences is a clear confirmation of the importance for the revival of the potential and status enhancement of the science in the regions.
A number of institutions were returned to the structure of the Academy of Sciences that were previously transferred to the system of institutions of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education. Thus, under the Academy there will be created the Vladimir Romanovsky Institute of Mathematics, the Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Institute of Ion-plasma and Laser Technologies named after U. Arifov, among others.
In the Decree special significance was also placed on the promotion of effective science. To this end, the government is to create a fund of material incentives for scientific workers of the Academy of Sciences who have achieved considerable results in scientific research.
Back to the Two-Level System
Less than four years ago Uzbekistan abandoned a two-tier system for training scientific and scientific-pedagogical specialists, but a recent decision envisages its return, admittedly with new notions and rules.
It follows from the 16 February Decree of the President of the country which stresses that the pace of socio-economic development of Uzbekistan necessitates rethinking of experience accumulated as part of single-stage system of postgraduate education, taking into consideration the best practices of some foreign countries in this sphere.
From July 1 this year, Uzbekistan will introduce a two-level system of postgraduate education. The new scheme is to include basic doctorate (with defending of a dissertation and conferment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, in various branches of sciences) and doctorate (with with defending of a dissertation and conferment of the degree of Doctor of Science, ScD).
In accordance with the Decree, the PhD degree can be awarded to individuals who have a master’s degree or higher education (a degree program) or have completed clinical residency (for medical sciences), and have defended the thesis. ScD degree will be awarded to individuals who have a degree of candidate of science or a PhD, or other equivalent degrees obtained in foreign countries, and have defended the thesis.
To the basic doctoral candidacy institution it shall be accepted the persons who have a master’s degree or higher education or completed clinical studies (residency), and a doctorate – persons with a degree of candidate of science or PhD or other equivalent degrees obtained abroad.
Persons who have attained aforementioned degrees and were assigned as an independent researcher shall also be permitted to defend doctoral theses for the degree of PhD and ScD.
A Separate Program
Another Decree of the head of state was dedicated to the creation of the eponymous Center on the basis of the current Genomics and Bioinformatics Center of the Academy of Sciences in the form of a government institution, as well as the approval of the program of measures for the advancement of this field in 2017-2020.
The activity of the center will be based on the program of measures for the development of fundamental and applied researches, as well as innovative works in the field of genomics and bioinformatics, bolstering scientific potential and material-technical base for the conduct of relevant researches for the period 2017-2020.
It is also planned to equip the center with modern scientific, technological and laboratory equipment, reagents and consumables required for scientific researches.
Scientific center employees will regularly participate in international conferences and seminars with the aim of further training and learning of scientific knowledge and technologies, and four young specialists will be sent annually to the six-month training at leading US research laboratories.
